5 Steps to make the Dallas Cowboys defense better in 2023

Time for the Dallas Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, to put his money where his mouth is.

Jerry Jones has led me to the dark side. In a recent interview, he talked in a metaphoric way that only Jerry can do. His reference of “scars and being cut open” was there to entice listeners to take the bait that he is a risk taker. Jerry, it has been a while since you’ve taken a real gamble in the game of football. But have no fear, your opportunity to take a risk is here. The risk comes in a form of a defensive tackle, Daron Payne.

Daron Payne will be 26 years old for the entire 2023-2024 season. This would give the Dallas Cowboys a chance to add a young cornerstone piece to their core of Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs. At 6’3″ 320 pounds, Dan Quinn will now have his “Grady Jarrett” type player for this defense. For a player who plays in the trenches, it is borderline amazing to know he has missed a total of 1 game in his NFL career. That is durability. Not to mention, you would be hurting a division rival by stealing one of their top defensive stars.

Daron Payne played the way you would expect in a contract year. Over his career, he has averaged a little more than 5 sacks per game. His asking price will be somewhere in the range of $15-18 million at a minimum to sign with the team. Considering athletic, young defensive linemen don’t just fall off trees, there will be other suitors that Dallas will have to fight off. With all of that said, he would be a piece that would help the Dallas Cowboys move into that elite conversation.