Dallas Cowboys: Time to question the culture of the defense

Despite being comprised primarily of role-players, no-names, and orphans, the Dallas Cowboys defensive line just can’t stay out of the news.

The Dallas Cowboys defensive line, devoid of superstars and loaded with “just guys”, seems to make waves every offseason. Never has a group of orphans received so much media coverage than the Cowboys defensive line over the past few seasons.

The defensive line is arguably the weakest link in an otherwise championship roster. They haven’t had a double-digit sack man since Jason Hatcher collected 11 in 2013. Since then it’s been a rotation of players leading the team, often time with nothing more than half a dozen sacks.

The Rotation

The defensive line, built around a rotation that promotes freshness and high effort, has been affectionately called “orphans” by defensive coordinator, Rod Marinelli. Marinelli, a master motivator, has been squeezing every last drop out of a very pedestrian unit the past few years making it hard not to love these guys.

Rod Marinelli’s been able to amazing things with the limited talent and resources given to him. But these suspensions are becoming a trend that’s particularly prevalent on the defensive side of the ball.

Given the ballooning cost of pass-rushers in the NFL, there is some genius to the Dallas Cowboys roster building on the defensive line. Pass-rushing defensive ends have never been more valuable and only franchise quarterbacks cost more per year to employ.

By having a rotation of players and no clear “war daddy” the Cowboys avoid such cost. Instead of getting a bunch of sacks from a few players, they get a few sacks from a bunch of players. Last season the Dallas Cowboys finished with 36 sacks, good enough for 12^th in the NFL.

Suspensions

A steady rotation of fresh bodies, combined with top-notch coaching from Rod Marinelli and staff, make this a perfect landing spot for motivated players looking to break out. Every season a handful of players relish the opportunity and flash high-end potential. Every year they give us something to be excited about. And every year they let us down – both in production and off-the-field behavior.

Last season the Dallas Cowboys placed majority of their hope on defensive ends DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory. How were we rewarded? Both players popped on their drug tests and both players received suspensions effectively ruining their seasons.

Is this the group of lovable orphans that Rod Marinelli makes them out to be?

Lawrence was suspended for the first four games and Gregory was suspended for 14 games. Neither player was much of a factor last season and many blame the suspensions for the obvious dip in performance.

This season Gregory is once again out and Lawrence is coming back from yet another back surgery. They very likely missed their window of opportunity because of poor choices off the field.

This season it’s David Irving who was widely regarded as the D-line’s most important player in 2017. But like Lawrence, he failed an offseason drug test and now faces a four-game delay to his season’s start. As many suspended players have proven in the past , suspensions are hard to come back from. Often times players never hit their full stride and are constantly playing catch-up.

In a season where the Dallas Cowboys were banking on Irving, he undeniably let them down. You have to question the culture on the defense at this point.

Is this the group of lovable orphans that Rod Marinelli makes them out to be? Not sure, but with every suspension the charm of this defensive line drops a little further.

Marinelli’s Culture

The Dallas Cowboys defense has a history of employing suspended players. From Rolando McClain to Greg Hardy to Orlando Scandrick to Tank Lawrence to Randy Gregory and now to David Irving. One has to question the culture of this blue collar defense that Rod Marinelli works with.

Not to blame Marinelli either. He’s been able to amazing things with the limited talent and resources given to him. But these suspensions are becoming a trend that’s particularly prevalent on the defensive side of the ball.

There’s Still Hope

All hope is not lost with the David Irving suspension. The Dallas Cowboys added a few fun players this offseason that have the potential to improve the Cowboys’ weakest link in 2017. The Cowboys invested a first round pick in Taco Charlton who figures to be a day 1 starter on the right edge. Rarely do rookies make an impact but Charlton is enormously built and could be a four down player for the Cowboys.

Next: How the Cowboys pass-rush is 3rd worst in the NFL

Demontre Moore and Charles Tapper are two players making their debuts with the Cowboys in 2017. Both players have undeniable skills and both will be given the opportunity to bounce back from disappointing 2016 seasons.

The culture is clearly flawed on the defense but that’s not surprising considering the players the Cowboys have chosen to bring in. Now, as they start devoting higher draft picks on defensive players, they won’t have to gamble on players with as many character flaws.

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