{"id":235485,"date":"2025-06-04T13:00:14","date_gmt":"2025-06-04T17:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=235485"},"modified":"2025-06-03T20:03:21","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T00:03:21","slug":"the-reason-the-dallas-cowboys-run-defense-collapsed-in-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/06\/04\/the-reason-the-dallas-cowboys-run-defense-collapsed-in-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"The Reason The Dallas Cowboys Run Defense Collapsed In 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Dallas Cowboys&#8217; run defense in 2024 had well-documented struggles. No matter which metrics you look at, raw or advanced, the trends are alarming. It\u2019s been a much-discussed topic among fans and analysts alike.<\/p>\n<p>During a recent episode of <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hsn22IOihOI\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Trust the Tape<\/em><\/a>, with Jeff Cavanaugh, former Cowboys scout and current analyst <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/bryanbroaddus?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bryan Broaddus<\/a> pushed back on the idea that poor defensive tackle play is to blame. He argued the problem is more nuanced, and that the issues plaguing the defense are more holistic than many Cowboys fans realize.<\/p>\n<p>Is he right?<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a closer look.<\/p>\n<h2>What The Numbers Say About The Cowboys&#8217; Run Defense In 2024<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_235566\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-235566\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-235566\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/06\/Cowboys-defense-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"Cowboys defense\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/06\/Cowboys-defense-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/06\/Cowboys-defense-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/06\/Cowboys-defense-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/06\/Cowboys-defense-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/06\/Cowboys-defense-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/06\/Cowboys-defense.jpg 1530w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-235566\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nov 3, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive end Chauncey Golston (99) tackles Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier (25) in the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><strong>2024 At A Glance<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>We know the Cowboys\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/04\/29\/dallas-cowboys-three-glaring-needs-after-the-2025-nfl-draft\/\" target=\"_self\">run defense<\/a> last year was bad overall\u2014one of the worst in the league by almost any measure.<\/p>\n<p>Dallas gave up 2,331 rushing yards (28<sup>th<\/sup> in the NFL), allowed 25 rushing touchdowns (worst in the league), and surrendered 4.8 yards per carry (tied for 29<sup>th<\/sup>). Bad. These aren\u2019t small misses either. They\u2019re soul-snatching failures in the most foundational aspect of defense\u2014stopping the run.<\/p>\n<p>You would be hard-pressed to find a statistic or metric that was kind to Dallas last year. They got bullied in short-yardage situations and gave up chunk plays on early downs. Opponents hit home runs from all over the field, cashing in from anywhere and everywhere. It\u2019s one thing to give up yardage. It\u2019s another to be this consistently bad when it matters most.<\/p>\n<p>This wasn\u2019t a bend-don\u2019t-break defense. It bent and broke.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Yes, The Interior Did Collapse<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Fans oversimplify things. Fair. So do analysts. Ever watched First Take?<\/p>\n<p>But in this case, Cowboys fans aren\u2019t wrong. The film backs it up. The <a  href=\"https:\/\/ftnfantasy.com\/nfl\/stats\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">advanced metrics<\/a> scream it. The root of Dallas\u2019 run defense problems started in the interior of the defensive line.<\/p>\n<p>Dallas finished 31<sup>st<\/sup> in Expected Points Added (EPA) against the run, a damning stat that doesn\u2019t simply measure yardage. When the Cowboys gave up rushing yards, they weren\u2019t hollow. Teams moved the chains, flipped field position, and kept drives alive. This wasn\u2019t death by a thousand cuts. It was blunt force trauma.<\/p>\n<p>The issues began at the snap. Opposing rushers gained 2.5 yards before contact, second-worst in the league. That\u2019s not a missed tackles stat. It\u2019s a line of scrimmage issue. Dallas ranked 31<sup>st<\/sup> in stuffed run rate at 14.5%, meaning they rarely made stops at or behind the line of scrimmage. In short-yardage situations, the Cowboys were soft, with opponents converting power runs at a staggering 82.6% clip, the worst mark in the NFL.<\/p>\n<p>Even when the defense was in the right call, the results didn\u2019t change. Against stacked boxes, opposing rushers still averaged 4.5 yards per carry, ranking 28<sup>th<\/sup>. Inside zone runs, a staple of any NFL rushing attack, chewed them up for 5.1 yards per carry, tied for dead last in the league.<\/p>\n<p>And in the moments that mattered most\u2014at the goal line\u2014Dallas folded. They allowed 11 rushing touchdowns in goal-line situations, second-most in the league, despite facing only the eighth-most goal-line carries. Not only did they fold. They folded quickly.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, run defense is more than just defensive tackles. But when you\u2019re consistently giving up yardage before contact, getting moved off the ball in short-yardage situations, and surrendering points near the goal line, the problem starts up front.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>There Were Other Issues\u2014But None As Severe<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>To be fair, Bryan Broaddus isn\u2019t wrong when he says the Cowboys\u2019 run defense woes weren\u2019t limited to just the interior. There were missed tackles, inconsistent edge setting, and breakdowns at the second and third levels.<\/p>\n<p>Dallas missed 93 tackles in the run game last season, 23<sup>rd<\/sup> in the league. Their missed tackle rate\u2014how often a defender failed to bring down the ball carrier\u2014was also 23<sup>rd<\/sup> at 19.3%. That\u2019s too high for a defense that fancies itself fast and swarming.<\/p>\n<p>Runners also found space at the second level, gaining 1.5 yards per attempt beyond the line of scrimmage (21<sup>st<\/sup>), and another 2.1 yards per carry in the open field (20<sup>th<\/sup>). Again, bad, but not bottom-of-the-barrel bad.<\/p>\n<p>Teams ran outside zone against Dallas at the second-highest rate in the league (27.6%), trying to test the edges and strain pursuit. But the Cowboys allowed just 4.4 yards per attempt on those runs, 20<sup>th<\/sup> in the NFL. Flawed? Certainly. Fatal? No.<\/p>\n<p>These are issues that need to be cleaned up if the defense is going to return to form. But they weren\u2019t the biggest problem. The advanced numbers from the front tell a different story entirely\u2014one of a defense getting blown off the ball before the play even had a chance to develop. The farther from the snap you go, the less catastrophic the numbers get (generally). That tells you everything you need to know about where the breakdown started.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>It Starts Up Front<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Run defense is a team effort, no question. But that doesn\u2019t mean every problem carries equal weight. When a defense consistently loses at the line of scrimmage\u2014giving up yards before contact, collapsing on short-yardage downs, folding at the goal line\u2014everything else breaks down behind it. That was the Dallas Cowboys in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone up front needs to step up, but it starts in the middle: <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/04\/23\/breaking-cowboys-may-cut-13-million-starter-mazi-smith-after-nfl-draft-5-possible-fits\/\" target=\"_self\">Mazi Smith<\/a> has to make a leap in year 3. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/tag\/osa-odighizuwa\/\" target=\"_self\">Osa Odighizuwa<\/a> must make strides as a run defender. And what will <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/tag\/marshawn-kneeland\/\" target=\"_self\">Marshawn Kneeland<\/a>, who showed promise as a run defender as a rookie, look like coming off a knee injury? The list goes on.<\/p>\n<p>Broaddus is right to call for a broader lens. But fans aren\u2019t wrong to point to the trenches. The tape agrees. The stats agree. The Cowboys&#8217; run defense in 2024 was a problem. If the Cowboys want to fix it in 2025, the work has to start where the breakdown began: up front.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main Image: Peter Casey &#8211; USA Today Sports<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Cowboys&#8217; run defense in 2024 was among the NFL\u2019s worst. Here\u2019s what the numbers show, and why fixing the trenches is the No. 1 priority.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5534,"featured_media":235563,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19,36],"tags":[7422,2165,31996],"class_list":["post-235485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cowboys","category-nfl-news","tag-dallas-cowboys-news","tag-defense","tag-nfl-rookies"],"modified_by":"Isaac Zuniga","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5534"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=235485"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":235567,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235485\/revisions\/235567"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/235563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=235485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=235485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=235485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}