Dallas Cowboys can expect a battle royale at the DT spot in 2022

Let’s face it, the Dallas Cowboys aren’t exactly known for flooding their defensive interior with talent. Like many teams, the Cowboys prioritize positions. Some positions they invest heavily, while others they fill with stop gaps, long-shots, and timeshares. The defensive tackle (DT) position falls into the latter category for Dallas.

The days of La’Roi Glover and Jay Ratliff seem long gone in Dallas. Instead, the Cowboys have preferred retreads like Terrell McClain, mid-rounders like Maliek Collins, or has-beens like Gerald McCoy to populate the interior ranks.

Expect a talented and intense competition at DT for the Dallas Cowboys in 2022

Typically, the pecking order is a well-established hierarchy entering training camp. The number of legitimate challengers are limited and roles are set before a single snap even takes place. This season, that’s very much not the case.

Osa Odigihizuwa and Neville Gallimore are the clear favorites to claim the two starting spots, but how they divide responsibilities between each other and how they rotate with others has yet to be determined. Additionally, the talent level at the top makes them an especially intriguing duo for Dallas since the Cowboys rarely employ talented and ascending players such as these two.

Osa Odighizuwa, the expected 3-technique tackle, is coming off a brilliant rookie season in which he established himself as one of the most effective interior pass-rushers in his draft class. He wore down significantly as the season went on, which is to be expected since he’s never played a schedule remotely as grueling, nor was his counterpart, Neville Gallimore, available to take on some of the workload.

After a full offseason of weights and conditioning, the Dallas Cowboys fully expect Osa to take another step in his development and give the Cowboys something they haven’t had since the aforementioned La’Roi Glover.

Gallimore was supposed to be the Dallas Cowboys breakout DT last year – up until injuries sidelined him before the 2021 campaign even got started. In all, Gallimore only played five games last season, pushing his forthcoming breakout year to 2022.

Slotted to play more of a 1-tech role alongside Osa, Gallimore won’t have the opportunities he would normally see at under tackle. But even at 1-tech, the Cowboys won’t banish him to blue-collar roles and responsibilities. They recognize Gallimore’s lateral movement, explosion, and penetration ability and will use him accordingly. Expect blurred lines.

Behind them the Dallas Cowboys have a collection of bruisers who can work in a rotation and take on that blue-collar role every defensive interior needs. Second-year player Quinton Bohanna is the trashcan full of dirt that plugs holes. Rookie John Ridgeway provides the nasty and as he would say, “break necks.” And Carlos Watkins fills in the gaps everywhere, up to and including, 2-gap play and even some defensive end.

Even former top pick, Trysten Hill, could figure into the mix. While Hill’s been a career disappointment, his blend of size and quickness is rare, and being in a contract year he knows full well it’s now or never.

As we’ve seen in minicamps, this is not a group to be taken lightly. Without an established veteran in place, every guy is competing to establish dominance. They are competing with each other and against the offensive linemen in front of them. The level of intensity inside stands out and will likely bleed into other areas on the field in training camp.

This is one of the most talented and youngest DT units the Dallas Cowboys have brought to camp in years, indicating health may finally be on their side and potential is completely through the roof.

As much as we like the rotational options and depth of the unit, it’s the headliners at the top of the billing that should excite Cowboys Nation. Osa Odighizuwa and Neville Gallimore appear to be the best pairing we’ve seen in a while. Both have penetration ability and both are talented, hungry, and aggressive.

It’s these two ascending players who will ultimately dictate the level of success of the Dallas Cowboys defensive interior sees in 2022.

Finally, a DT group to get excited about.