Cowboys Letting Defender Walk Has Clearly Backfired After Hot Start to Season

The Dallas Cowboys are 3-2 as they picked up a thrilling win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 5. They look to continue the positive momentum as they host the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

The Cowboys can't afford to drop more games as the Washington Commanders are in first place of the NFC East with a record of 4-1 on the year and head coach Dan Quinn leading the way.

Not only did Quinn go to Washington, he brought multiple players from Dallas with him and one of these defenders is off to a hot start in 2024.

NFL News: Dorance Armstrong Has Played Well in 2024

Defensive end Dorance Armstrong signed with the Commanders on a three-year deal that has a maximum value of $45 million during free agency.

With Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Marshawn Kneeland all dealing with injuries, the loss of Armstrong stings a bit more for the Cowboys.

Over the last three weeks, Armstrong is tied for fourth in the league in pressure rate (20%). In 2024, he has generated 18 total pressures, nine hurries, five QB hits, and three sacks. In addition, he has an 83.4 pass-rush grade per PFF.

To put this into perspective, outside of Lawrence, no Dallas edge rusher has more than 1.5 sacks on the season. Washington is tied for seventh in the NFL in team sacks (15), while the Cowboys are tied for 29th with 11 team sacks.

The Cowboys' offseason was a disappointment, and the emergence of Armstong in Washington is another example of that. Jerry Jones had multiple opportunities to put his money where his mouth was but failed to do so.

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