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The Dallas Cowboys defense will have an elite front-seven

By Walter Sharp

Demarcus Lawrence #90 of the Dallas Cowboys (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Demarcus Lawrence #90 of the Dallas Cowboys (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence will look to show the NFL why the Cowboys Defensive line is one of the best this season.

The Dallas Cowboys added some great pieces to their defensive line this season by adding Everson Griffen, Dontari Poe, and Aldon Smith. Dallas will look for the new additions to make a major impact on the defensive side of the ball.

Everson Griffen will give the Cowboys another pass rusher to go on the opposite side of DeMarcus Lawrence. Griffen helped the Vikings last season by having 26 solo tackles, 8 sacks, and 1 interception. Combined Lawrence and Griffen had 56 solo tackles, 13 sacks, 2 Forced Fumbles, and 1 interception last season.

Dontari Poe comes over from Carolina where he had 15 solo tackles and 4 sacks. Poe will be a force on the inside of the defensive line and will cause fits for the inside run game. The Cowboys have many options for the defensive line – they could throw Tyrone Crawford in at defensive tackle to add more speed to the line.

The wildcard in this whole situation is Aldon Smith. Smith has not played in an NFL game since 2015 when he  was with the Raiders. The Cowboys signed Smith knowing that he has not played in almost 5 years. Aldon Smith had 21 solo tackles and 3.5 sacks in 2015. The Cowboys hope that he can pick up where he left off.

Offensive lineman are going to have a lot to think about when they line up against the front seven of the Cowboys.

Now add three talented linebackers to the mix and you have something to get excited about. Leighton Vander Esch, Jaylon Smith, and Sean Lee will look to make an impact on the running and passing games of opposing offenses. The Cowboys will need Sean Lee to stay healthy and play like he did last season for the Cowboys defense. Lee, Smith, and Vander Esch had a total of 181 solo tackles, 3.5 sacks, 3 Forced Fumbles, and 2 Interceptions last season.

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Mike McCarthy fell into a talented group of players on the defensive side of the ball, and has two young linebackers who are still improving every snap they play. Vander Esch and Smith are performing above expectations and Sean Lee is the veteran that keeps the linebacking crew together. The pass defense for the Cowboys is the key to their success on that side of the ball.

The Cowboys defense struggled against the teams that played in last years playoffs. Adding the three defensive lineman was a need because the Cowboys gave up a chunk of rushing yards last season. Signing these lineman will help control the problem they had with rushing yards.

The question is can the pass rushers get to the quarterback before the ball leaves the quarterback’s hand. That was the big problem for the Cowboy defense was the passing game. They could not stop the passing game against other teams. Byron Jones is off to Miami, but the Cowboys went out and grabbed HA HA Clinton DIx in hope that he can help out in the pass and rushing defense.

All the attention is on Dak and what he needs to do to reach a big contract from the Dallas Cowboys. The problem is that Dak will need the Cowboys defense to not make every game a shoot out. The offense needs the defense to put them on the field with great field position. This is why it was so important for the Cowboys to go out and get help.

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If any year the front seven can prove themselves to the team and the NFL – it is this season.

  • Published on 09/02/2020 at 12:30 PM
  • Last updated at 09/02/2020 at 07:42 AM
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