The Dallas Cowboys defense has suffered seven injuries at three positions since the start of the season, and even before that counting the Sam Williams and DaRon Bland injuries. However, even with most of their most dynamic players off the field, the Cowboys looked better than ever.
Maybe there’s more hope to hang on to than first believed.
Defensive Injuries Haven’t Dominated the Cowboys Defense
The Injuries Bug Eating Away at Defensive Depth
In the Week 5 game against the Giants, the Cowboys lost both of their major EDGE rushers, DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons.
While Parsons could be back against the Lions and, more than likely, will be back against the Niners, Lawrence is out much longer.
Now placed on IR, there’s little chance Lawrence will be back for a couple of weeks.
But then again, another loss in the EDGE room happened against the Steelers. The loss of rookie Marshawn Kneeland will also take him out for several weeks.
The Cowboys are scraping the bottom of the barrel to find players who can fill in these valuable spots.
Jerry Jones claims that there’s no concern about looking outside of the organization. In a radio interview with a local Dallas radio station on October 8, 2024, Jones said, “That’s what you’ve got a practice squad for. That’s what you’ve got your depth on the roster for.”
So far, these new alignments pulling from the practice squad and roster have worked better than anticipated.
Poor Coaching During the First Few Games
In an interview after the Saints game, Mike Zimmer admitted that it was his fault the defense didn’t look great. He knew he hadn’t coached them the way he needed to.
At first, these improvements still weren’t clear.
The Ravens dominated the Cowboys in Week 3. Most of the errors were players just not in the right spots and failed tackles on the play.
Finally, we’re starting to see what the possibilities are for this Cowboys defense. After two games of vast improvement and holding their opponents to less than 20 points in both games, there’s something to build on.
There are still errors on the field, but there’s also hope in what can be produced next.
The Front-Four Improvements
For once, with correct coaching and clear assignments, the Cowboys’ defense is watching Mazi Smith soar.
He’s finally managing two men in a block. Smith is now making gaps so that the linebackers can squeeze through and eat. And it isn’t just him.
New to the team this year, Linval Joseph recorded a sack against the Steelers. And that wasn’t the only time he broke through the line of scrimmage.
Several players recorded assisted sacks, including the fresh talent at EDGE–Tyrus Wheat and Chauncey Golston.
In other words, it’s all clicking across the line, leading to more success for the linebackers and ease on the corners so they can focus on doing their jobs.
If they play like this against the upcoming challenges for their season, like the Lions, Niners, and Texans, there’s a lot more hope for what they can produce overall.
Cowboys Defense: Bent but Not Broken
Although there are a lot of players out, the Cowboys are making do with what they have.
And what they have is looking pretty good. That’s without starters and big leaders on defense.
The argument for now is that the Cowboys won’t look as good against an impressive NFL team. But as soon as they overcome that hurdle, there will be nothing standing in their way.
Main Image: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
