It seems like every year he has been in Dallas, Dan Quinn has found young studs in the draft or free agency for his Cowboys defense. 2023 is no different.
Pickups such as DaRon Bland and Sam Williams respectively made tremendous impacts in 2022. Bland snagged five picks in an impressive rookie season. Williams, meanwhile, showed great flashes rushing the quarterback. Both players would likely be lesser known by Cowboys nation if not for the defensive guru Dan Quinn.
This year, Quinn has a new batch of talent in the oven. The following players are names you can expect to impress in preseason, and make an increasing impact as the season progresses.
Cowboys Defense: Dan Quinn’s Young Guns 2023 Edition
Marquese Bell, Safety
This free agency pickup from 2021 has been impressing since day one. Marquese Bell had a very solid career at Florida A&M after failing to find traction at Maryland and Coffeyville CC.
In 2022, Bell made the roster as an undrafted free agent but made just one solo tackle. However, that was in a crowded safety room.
Donovan Wilson recently suffered a strained right calf in training camp. He is going to be out for four to six weeks, just in time to return to the field for the opener. However, he won’t see another snap in training camp or preseason.
Israel Mukuamu, who began taking snaps at the safety position late in the season, is also injured. Mukuamu strained his right hamstring. He and Wilson have a similar timetable for recovery.
Bell has been making large strides in training camp and the window certainly looks open. He has already made the roster and saw limited snaps one time, and he knows Quinn’s playbook.
The likes of Malik Hooker and Jayron Kearse are veteran day one starters, it is etched in stone. But do not be surprised if Bell winds up with a handful of takeaways too.
DeMarvion Overshown, Linebacker
6’3″, 230 lbs and running straight at opposition quarterbacks. DeMarvion Overshown was selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft as a linebacker. However, Overshown took snaps at multiple different positions at Texas. He started his career at safety and ended up as a linebacker.
Who is Overshown reminiscent of? Perhaps Mark Barron, safety from Alabama drafted in the seventh round of the 2021 draft.
Barron was selected at the safety position, but his career in the NFL has not followed that path. He played safety for 37 games, and then transitioned to linebacker following an injury to Alec Ogletree. Barron’s consistent play earned him the “weak safety” title, as he shone equally at both positions.
Overshown is a Barron-style chess piece that Quinn gets to add to his war chest. He comes in like a heat-seeking missile but drops back to cover equally well. He has a great chance to finish the year with a sack and interception.
Mazi Smith, Defensive Line
This draft pick has a chance to elevate the Cowboys defense to a new level in 2023. Mazi Smith has the highest ceiling of Quinn’s young guns.
Do we really have to rewatch that 49ers game to know what Dallas’ biggest problem is? Anybody who was watching knows that the Cowboys allowed gaping holes up the middle for the likes of Christian McCaffery and Elijah Mitchell.
The Cowboys front seven is not exactly tissue paper either. Jonathan Hankins did his best, but he could not carry the whole line. Now he, and the rest of the trenchmen, have a special talent to help.
This was not the most flashy draft pick the Cowboys have made. Smith was not on many Cowboys draft boards in the months leading up to the spectacle.
However, Smith’s selection addressed the team’s biggest need quicker than any free agency pickup did. Smith serves as a run-stuffing big man who will lock down the trenches.
Facing veteran offensive tackles in training camp will only condition the former Michigan Wolverine even more. No more big runs up the middle as he and Hankins will anchor down the middle of the line.
With the middle stuffed, the outside might seem more appealing. However, anyone who tries to bounce the run outside is getting met by Micah Parsons. Quarterbacks throwing the ball will need to duel with Trevon Diggs or Stephon Gilmore. It is all coming together.
Smith likely will not finish the year with lots of sacks or quarterback hits. Howeverm he serves as the final puzzle piece in Dallas’ 2023 defense.
Quinn’s young guns have a chance to lift the Cowboys defense from top 10 to top five in 2023. Not many other defensive coordinators have the foresight as Quinn, and these draft gems could prove it.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
