Why the Dallas Cowboys aren’t concerned about defensive tackle in ’18

The Dallas Cowboys are dangerously thin on the interior of their defensive line – so then, why aren’t they more concerned?

The Dallas Cowboys have seemed to address majority of their roster concerns heading into the 2018 season. Either through free agency or through the draft, Dallas made efforts to alleviate worry across the board. But one position largely ignored was the defensive tackle position.

In a division that brags some of the strongest offensive lines in football and a few of the NFL’s most feared rushing attacks, the idea to underinvest in defensive tackle is a curious one, to say the least.

Think about it: the defending Super Bowl Champs had arguably the best offensive line in the NFL last season. With improved health they look to be even better in 2018. The Washington Redskins have a strong unit of their own. They also look to improve with another year of tutelage under Bill Callahan (one of the best O-line coaches in the NFL). The New York Giants may be a joke up front, but after drafting blue-chip prospect, Saquan Barkley, no one’s going to be laughing at their running game this season.

At some point, we need to accept it’s not an oversight and start to believe it’s part of the plan.The Cowboys are looking for a different kind of DT.

So why then did the Dallas Cowboys completely ignore the run-stopping portion of their defensive line?

The Roster

As it stands now, the Cowboys are without a true starting 1-technique DT.

They have edge guys aplenty and one of the best 3-technique DTs in the league (David Irving) but what do they have at the nose?

Maliek Collins? Collins just had surgery and will likely be out through most of training camp. Besides, He fits better as a 3-technique anyway.

Can the newly acquired DT, Jihad Ward? Not likely. The 6’5” 295lbs tackle lacks the stoutness often requisite of the position. His NFL track record also says he’s better at penetrating than holding his ground. When he two-gapped in Oakland, he looked terrible. Sure, Rod Marinelli likes to 1-gap all of his linemen but playing two-gap from time to time is unavoidable from even a Marinelli 1-tech DT.

That leaves fringe roster guys, Brian Price and Richard Ash as the next great hope at run-stopping. While I believe Price played pretty well as a role player last season, I’m not sure I want to be banking on him to stop Jay Ajayi and Saquon Barkley next season. No matter how you look at it, the Dallas Cowboys lack that true 2-down run-stopping plugger in the middle.

But maybe they want it that way…

Stoutness or movement?

The Dallas Cowboys appear to be valuing movement considerably more than stoutness. They have repeatedly passed over proven big men who play two downs and are dedicated to stopping the run. It’s all of us in Cowboys Nation who keep talking about it.

At some point, we need to accept it’s not an oversight and start to believe it’s part of the plan.The Cowboys are looking for a different kind of DT.

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All about movement

Lateral quickness seems to be a trait the Dallas Cowboys value quite a bit in their front seven these days. They are hunting for guys who can flow and penetrate rather than stand strong in the middle.

When you think about it, it makes sense. No one in the division plays a straight forward man blocking scheme. They all seem to be zone/trap variations that move more horizontally.

Having an immovable object in the A-Gap would be a waste of resources if the opposition was designed to avoid it all together. That doesn’t mean NFC East opponents won’t be running up the middle in 2018 – it just means they are built to avoid it if needs be.

This explains why virtually the only 1-tech candidate the Cowboys were interested in was Terrell McClain. McClain was a rare cat: capable of exploding through the gap in a 1-gap role and capable of holding fast and playing the 2-gap.

This also explains why the Cowboys were legitimately interested in the versatile Vita Vea on draft day and why they passed over so many one-dimensional NTs later in the draft. They have a “type” and while that type may not fit our definition, it’s what they are clearly looking for.

It would be shocking if the Cowboys didn’t add a player or two more to the inside of the line. Collins’ injury makes that a requirement. But I think they like the idea of playing a three-tech player in a one-tech role. They just value movement that much.

Next: Cowboys on the Chalkboard: 1-gap vs 2-gap

It’s time to accept the Dallas Cowboys are not interested in who we think they should be interested in. The Cowboys are looking for a specific type of player to play in the middle of their defense and that player needs to be able to move.