3 Important Insurance-Policy Players on the Dallas Cowboys
By Reid Hanson
Dallas Cowboys Insurance Policy No. 2: Tyrone Crawford
Every year half of Cowboys Nation tries to cut Tyrone Crawford and every year he sticks. This year is certainly no different. This is the second time I’ve addressed Tyrone Crawford’s value this offseason yet some still fail to see his worth.
Tyrone Crawford has long been a victim (“victim?”) of his contract. Playing at roughly $10 million per season, Craw has never really lived up to his contract and the expectations that come with said contract. That’s led to a fair amount of hate from Cowboys Nation.
But just because he hasn’t lived up to the deal does not mean he’s a bad player. In fact, in the last few full seasons he’s played, he’s been the second best defensive lineman on the team. Not only that but he’s served in an extremely difficult capacity, bouncing back and forth in between tackle and end, according to the needs of the team.
That’s why he’s so valuable heading into the 2020 season. He offers stability and consistency at two of the four defensive line positions. As a right end he serves as the insurance policy should Aldon Smith not hit the ground running or Randy Gregory fail to be reinstated.
At defensive tackle he offers depth behind Gerald McCoy. Without another proven 3-tech on the team, the Dallas Cowboys are pinning a lot of hope on McCoy’s ability to take heavy snaps all season. If McCoy breaks down and/or suffers injury, the Cowboys are desperately thin at 3-tech. Besides Crawford. only the completely unproven Neville Gallimore and the second year disappointment Trysten Hill are there to pick up the slack.
Even with a healthy and consistent McCoy, Crawford offers the Cowboys a nice option inside on those nickel pass-rushing packages.
At the cost of $9.1 million, Tyrone’s price tag has finally been passed by the market. According to Spotrac he’s just the 25th paid DE in the NFL this season (41st overall D-lineman) and assuming he can bounce back from injury in 2020, he should have plenty left in the tank at the age of 30.