The Dallas Cowboys are changing things up on defense. Significantly. The changes come in many forms, from an entirely new coaching staff to a large haul of new players brought in to carry out the plans of the new administration. With a new blueprint comes new soldiers, and the team has quite a few. Only four defenders will retain their starting spots – Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, Donovan Ezeiruaku, and Malik Hooker, and of those four, only one of them (Hooker) had logged a snap for the Cowboys at this
time last year. The makeover is real.
From more changes in the trenches to all the way back at safety, a lot has changed, and we thought we would give a quick rundown of what these new transitions should look like heading into the new season. In no particular order, here we go…
From Kenneth Murray to DeMarvion Overshown
Position: middle linebacker
The Cowboys relied on Murray to anchor the middle of the field last year, but that came with costly results. The veteran linebacker repeatedly hesitated when trying to dissect offensive schemes. Slow processing and bad angles gave way to frequent fast-passes to the second level for opposing running backs. The hope is that a fully healthy Overshown can inject some better recognition and lethal sideline-to-sideline speed to hunt down outside runs. With good decisions and elite closing burst, Overshown should offer a nice upgrade in the middle of the defense.
From Donovan Wilson to Jalen Thompson
Position: strong safety/split-safety
Wilson has historically struggled with coverage assignments, and last year he was just one of many who were frequently caught out of position. Thompson brings elite versatility to the position as he is proficient at diagnosing deep routes or dropping into the slot as a nickel corner. The Cowboys essentially get the physical play of Wilson with more technically refined tackling and added skills to help improve their leaky back-end coverage ability.
From Osa Odighizuwa to Otito Ogbonnia
Position: defensive tackle
After the acquisitions added Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams to the interior defensive line, Odighizuwa became expendable, especially for financial reasons. Odighizuwa did sometimes struggle anchoring against the run and got pushed off his spots, creating weak spots in the defense’s ability to stop the run. Free agent Ogbonnia brings 40 extra pounds and a lower center of gravity to take on double teams and clog up the middle. While Otito isn’t a direct replacement for Odighizuwa, his job is to beef up the interior defensive line agaisnt the run.
From Shemar James to Dee Winters
Position: weakside linebacker
The rookie from Florida had a decent first year racking up tackles; however, he showed a lot of issues managing his space. His aggressive nature led him to bite on fakes, leaving some big holes in the middle of the field. He flashed some nice skills to build from, but he wasn’t someone the team could rely on to consistently make stops, so the team went out and traded for a more viable option. Winters comes over from San Francisco following a great year where he showcased disciplined eyes and sharp processing. They both bring some exciting speed to the position, but Winters is currently a more cerebral player to effectively utilize his athleticism.
From Reddy Steward to Caleb Downs
Position: nickel corner
While we’ve heard countless gripes about how the defense missed Jourdan Lewis, the changeover to Steward actually wasn’t that bad, but the low-cost replacement would sometimes surrender separation on quick, inside routes. The team gets a huge upgrade this year with the addition of the 11th overall pick, Downs. The high-IQ collegiate is more than just a slot specialist, but he’ll bring diagnostic and change-of-direction skills to the position that the Cowboys haven’t had in quite some time. Downs will be used in a multitude of ways, giving the team an aggressive playmaker who will show up all over the field.
From Jadeveon Clowney to Rashan Gary
Position: outside linebacker
The late add-on from veteran pass rusher and former No. 1 overall pick Clowney was a good signing, but wasn’t the answer the team was looking for. The transition to a 3-4 defense and the need to be strong along the edge have caused the Cowboys to go another direction. The team traded for a younger and stronger edge rusher in the form of Gary. With better better run-defending skills and a viable pass rush game, Gary gives the defensive line a more balanced weapon to carry out the plans of the team’s new coaching staff.
From Kaiir Elam to Shavon Revel Jr.
Position: outside corner
Even though he didn’t stick around all year, Elam logged the third-most snaps for any Cowboys corner last year (behind DaRon Bland and Steward). It was awful. He was repeatedly out of position, and when he did get close to the receiver, he was too close, resulting in far too many pass interference penalties. The team is hoping that second-year cornerback Revel Jr. can bring some length and fluidity to the outside without all the excess grabbing. If he can return to pre-injury form, the defense might gain a ball-tracking disruptor to help secure the boundaries.
It’s also worth mentioning that the Cowboys have added defensive linemen Malachi Lawrence and L.T. Overton, outside linebacker Jaishawn Barham, cornerbacks Cobie Durant and Devin Moore, and safety P.J. Locke. There’s a lot to be excited about.
These massive transitions show how committed this team is to fixing its biggest weakness from last year. All of these changes center around improving discipline to eliminate slow reaction times and out-of-position players. The upgrade in skillsets is valuable to, and hopefully, a defense that is smarter, faster, and stronger can reshape this unit from a weekly embarrassment to an effective force that can get itself off the field.
