Dallas Cowboys: Defensive Back May Be the Most Urgent Position to Address
By Reid Hanson
The Dallas Cowboys need a dominant pass-rusher in the worst way, but defensive back may be the most urgent area to upgrade this offseason
If the Dallas Cowboys are looking for players who can provide a meaningful impact this offseason, defensive back may be the best place to look. With Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne set to hit free agency, the Cowboys are desperately thin at the cornerback position.
Throw in the potential losses of free agent safeties Barry Church and J.J. Wilcox, and you have a very troubling situation in the defensive backfield.
Cornerback
As it stands today, the Cowboys are expected to start oft-injured veteran, Orlando Scandrick, on one side and promising second-year man, Anthony Brown, on the other. But behind them the cupboards are bare.
Between cornerback and safety, the Dallas Cowboys need to find players who can fill 2,806 snaps
Since the Dallas Cowboys play out of a nickel defense more often than not, the third cornerback is considered a starter.
Considering the physical demands of the cornerback position and somewhat frequent use of the dime coverage, and a valid case can be made that the fourth cornerback is a starter as well.
On the Dallas Cowboys, iron man Brandon Carr logged the most snaps with 1,077. But behind him Anthony Brown had 742 and Orlando Scandrick had 704 snaps. The fourth cornerback, Morris Claiborne, logged 432 snaps. What this tells us that treating the bottom of the cornerback depth chart like the bottom of the running back, receiver, or frankly any other position, is a bit irresponsible.
The Cowboys No. 3 running back, Lance Dunbar logged a whopping 143 snaps last season. The Cowboys No. 5 receiver, Lucky Whitehead, logged only 147 snaps.
If there’s a position where the bottom of the depth chart matters, it’s cornerback. That’s why the Dallas Cowboys need to address it this offseason, more than any other position.
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Safety
With Barry Church and J.J. Wilcox as possible free agent departures, the Cowboys are left searching for a starting caliber safety.
Byron Jones has his spot locked down as a part time free safety and part time tight end coverage man. But he needs players capable of playing in-the-box safety (like Barry Church last season) and occasional deep safety (like J.J. Wilcox last season) to counter whatever his assignment is.
Jeff Heath and Kavon Frazier could step up into those roles, but new blood is needed to round out this unappreciated position group.
Many will argue a dominant pass-rusher would be the most impactful. I recently called the right defensive end the most important position on the team (Second only to quarterback). But it’s also the most difficult to find. Rivaling that of the franchise quarterback.
Defensive backs are the most player-needy area of the team and potentially the most plentiful and impactful in free agency and the draft. Between cornerback and safety, the Dallas Cowboys need to find players who can fill 2,806 snaps! That’s more than what just one of two players can provide and that’s more than a few late round selections can satisfy.
Next: 3 Affordable Free Agent Cornerbacks for the Cowboys
As we watch the NFL Combine and scour NFL Free Agency, keep the need at defensive back in mind because the Cowboys are going to have to use both in order to fill their massive vacancies.