Dallas Cowboys: 3 Steps to Rebuilding the Interior Defensive Line
By Reid Hanson
With so many players set to hit free agency, the Dallas Cowboys defensive line is about to undergo a major re-build. Here’s 3 steps to successfully rebuilding their interior line…
The Dallas Cowboys have a ton of decisions to make in coming days. Roughly a dozen starters are free agents and have yet to be signed. Who comes back and who leaves has yet to be determined. And many of them will set off to test the market and weigh options. How the Dallas Cowboys handle this offseason will likely set them on course for the next half-decade.
One position group especially in flux is the interior defensive line. With Christian Covington, Maliek Collins, Daniel Ross, and Antwaun Woods all about to explore some form of free agency, the Dallas Cowboys are extremely thin in talent. Especially since part-time interior rusher, Michael Bennett is also a free agent.
Dallas could look to the draft to fill their needs inside. The only problem is defensive tackles take time to develop and even highly-drafted ones have an above average bust rate. That means expecting one or two rookies to hold down the fort isn’t just risky, it’s negligent.
These are the DT drafted in the 1st rd since 2011.... how many of these teams do you think are thrilled with their pick? pic.twitter.com/bfxRJR4yJP
— Joey Ickes (@JoeyIckes) March 4, 2020
That doesn’t mean the Dallas Cowboys should skip the position in the draft either. They’d be wise to add a body or two via the 2020 NFL Draft. They just better make sure they cover their bases in free agency. And that’s the focus of this article. Today we’ll look at 3 steps the Dallas Cowboys should take in rebuilding their interior defensive line.