2014 Defense vs 2015 Defense

[xwalker]

It is hard to make an exact defensive roster from last season because of injuries and suspensions. I tried to just use the players that were on the roster the most.

The left side is last season and the right side is the projected replacement this season.

Bold - Rookies or Redshirt players.
Underline - 2nd year with Cowboys
Red - 2nd year starting at this position.
Blue - Veteran that did not play last season.

Defensive Linemen
Jeremy Mincey //// Greg Hardy
Tyrone Crawford //// Tyrone Crawford
Nick Hayden //// Nick Hayden
George Selvie //// Lawrence
Terrell McClain //// Terrell McClain
Anthony Spencer //// Randy Gregory
Jack Crawford //// Jermey Mincey
Josh Brent //// Ken Bishop
Henry Melton //// Chris Whaley
Boatright //// Russell
Lavar Edwards //// Gardner

Linebackers
Rolando McClain //// Rolando McClain
Bruce Carter //// Anthony Hitchens
Justin Durant //// Sean Lee
Anthony Hitchens //// Brinkley
Kyle Wilber //// Gachkar
Cameron Lawrence //// Wilson
Keith Smith //// Rivers

Defensive Backs
Scandrick //// Scandrick
Brandon Carr //// Brandon Carr
Sterling Moore //// Jones
Barry Church //// Barry Church
JJ Wilcox //// JJ Wilcox
Tyler Patmon //// Patmon/White
CJ Spillman //// White
Jeff Heath //// Jeff Heath

Only 4 projected starters are will be in their 3rd year or more at their position and 3 could get pushed down the roster due to competition.
Scandrick
Carr - Could be challenged for #2 CB spot by Jones
Church - Could be challenged by White/Jones at FS pushing Wilcox to SS
Hayden - Could be challenged by McClain/Bishop

 

[erod]

Much better and more promising looking group this year.

 

[Garrettop]

Hopefully we can manage to at least sack 1 legged QBs this year, and preferably 2 legged QBs as well.

 

[WillieBeamen]

No Claiborne?

 

[xwalker]

No Claiborne?

He was injured most of last season and I'm expecting him to get injured again or start the season on the PUP.

 

[casmith07]

I think Scandrick and Jones will be starting at CB before the end of the year.

I still think Wilcox is the FS we need. He's still learning, and has all of the athletic tools to be really good at the position.

Carr doesn't need to be cut, and might even get extended to stick around as a really good CB3 option.

Church is still solid at SS. He does well covering tight ends and understands the nickel LB role, which is why he's better at SS than Wilcox. He could stick around for a few more years unless a bonafide SS candidate falls in our laps next draft or free agency.

I like this defense. Not a ton of big names, but I think as a unit they can accomplish big things, similar to Marinelli's defense in Tampa.

 

[conner01]

It's just on paper at this point but I see lots to be excited about
Maybe not a top defense but a good defense
To be really good we need Mo and Carr to have good years
We need jones to ready ready to contribute
We need Lawrence to take the next step
We need hardy to return to form quickly
I have to say I was scared of our defense going into last year, but I'm much less concerned this year
Time will tell if that enthusiasm is warranted

 

[Nation]

He was injured most of last season and I'm expecting him to get injured again or start the season on the PUP.

Plus he sucks and shouldn't be one of our top 3 corners to begin with

 

[xwalker]

I think Scandrick and Jones will be starting at CB before the end of the year.

I still think Wilcox is the FS we need. He's still learning, and has all of the athletic tools to be really good at the position.

Carr doesn't need to be cut, and might even get extended to stick around as a really good CB3 option.

Church is still solid at SS. He does well covering tight ends and understands the nickel LB role, which is why he's better at SS than Wilcox. He could stick around for a few more years unless a bonafide SS candidate falls in our laps next draft or free agency.

I like this defense. Not a ton of big names, but I think as a unit they can accomplish big things, similar to Marinelli's defense in Tampa.

Yes, I can't imagine Jones not starting at CB by the end of the year.

Agree on Wilcox. He was better than most people think last year.

Carr will have to take a big pay cut to stay in 2016. I'm still not certain they won't try to get him to take a pay cut this year.

Last season on a few occasions they replaced Church with Heath on obvious passing situations. It was only a few times, but it was interesting. I think they may use more substitutions this year. I could see Church being replaced in passing situations by White. If that happens, then it would be an option to move Church to LB when White is playing Safety. In general, I think White is a talented player that will get some playing time one way or the other.

 

[casmith07]

Yes, I can't imagine Jones not starting at CB by the end of the year.

Agree on Wilcox. He was better than most people think last year.

Carr will have to take a big pay cut to stay in 2016. I'm still not certain they won't try to get him to take a pay cut this year.

Last season on a few occasions they replaced Church with Heath on obvious passing situations. It was only a few times, but it was interesting. I think they may use more substitutions this year. I could see Church being replaced in passing situations by White. If that happens, then it would be an option to move Church to LB when White is playing Safety. In general, I think White is a talented player that will get some playing time one way or the other.

I think the analysis of Carr's salary has it staying at or below the same percentage of the cap assuming the increase next year, which would allow us to keep him.

I would like to see him receive a 3-year contract extension/do-over that restructures next year's salary and lowers his overall cap numbers over the remaining extended years. He's a good player and you can't find decent cornerbacks on trees. Players like that should stick around as long as it doesn't hurt the team's ability to improve or retain other personnel.

 

[xwalker]

It's just on paper at this point but I see lots to be excited about
Maybe not a top defense but a good defense
To be really good we need Mo and Carr to have good years
We need jones to ready ready to contribute
We need Lawrence to take the next step
We need hardy to return to form quickly
I have to say I was scared of our defense going into last year, but I'm much less concerned this year
Time will tell if that enthusiasm is warranted

Yes, 2 of Hardy, Mincey, Lawrence and Gregory need to be really good pass rushers. Hopefully, all of them will be really good, but only a couple of them need to excel.

At a minimum I think both Jones and White are better than anything they had at the 3rd CB spot last year including Claiborne. I don't really see Claiborne playing much even if he is healthy. I would start Claiborne out on the PUP, but I don't think they will do it. Patella injuries are worst than ACL injuries from what I understand. I think the primary reason they are still intrigued by Claiborne is his potential for getting INTs. He seems to have better ball skills than Scandrick and Carr.

 

[xwalker]

I think the analysis of Carr's salary has it staying at or below the same percentage of the cap assuming the increase next year, which would allow us to keep him.

I would like to see him receive a 3-year contract extension/do-over that restructures next year's salary and lowers his overall cap numbers over the remaining extended years. He's a good player and you can't find decent cornerbacks on trees. Players like that should stick around as long as it doesn't hurt the team's ability to improve or retain other personnel.

His salary increases from 8M to 9.1M next year. If Jones is starting sometime this season, then it would be really hard to pay 9.1M to a 3rd CB. White could factor into it also. I think he will be a good player for the Cowboys. I've watched a good bit of his game footage from last season and I'm shocked that the Saints cut him. If you compared White in 2014 to the 1st half of the season for Carr, I think White was better. Carr did improve at the end of the season and hopefully starts off at that level and does not regress.

 

[CCBoy]

It is hard to make an exact defensive roster from last season because of injuries and suspensions. I tried to just use the players that were on the roster the most.

The left side is last season and the right side is the projected replacement this season.
Bold - Rookies or Redshirt players.
Underline - 2nd year with Cowboys
Red - 2nd year starting at this position.
Blue - Veteran that did not play last season.

Defensive Linemen
Jeremy Mincey //// Greg Hardy
Tyrone Crawford //// Tyrone Crawford
Nick Hayden //// Nick Hayden
George Selvie //// Lawrence
Terrell McClain //// Terrell McClain
Anthony Spencer //// Randy Gregory
Jack Crawford //// Jermey Mincey
Josh Brent //// Ken Bishop
Henry Melton //// Chris Whaley
Boatright //// Russell
Lavar Edwards //// Gardner

Linebackers
Rolando McClain //// Rolando McClain
Bruce Carter //// Anthony Hitchens
Justin Durant //// Sean Lee
Anthony Hitchens //// Brinkley
Kyle Wilber //// Gachkar
Cameron Lawrence //// Wilson
Keith Smith //// Rivers

Defensive Backs
Scandrick //// Scandrick
Brandon Carr //// Brandon Carr
Sterling Moore //// Jones
Barry Church //// Barry Church
JJ Wilcox //// JJ Wilcox
Tyler Patmon //// Patmon/White
CJ Spillman //// White
Jeff Heath //// Jeff Heath

Only 4 projected starters are will be in their 3rd year or more at their position and 3 could get pushed down the roster due to competition.
Scandrick
Carr - Could be challenged for #2 CB spot by Jones
Church - Could be challenged by White/Jones at FS pushing Wilcox to SS
Hayden - Could be challenged by McClain/Bishop

Thanks, X...and about year three should be the directional indicator for the immediate future for Marinelli.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Imagine what a thread like this would look like one year from today.

 

[conner01]

Yes, 2 of Hardy, Mincey, Lawrence and Gregory need to be really good pass rushers. Hopefully, all of them will be really good, but only a couple of them need to excel.

At a minimum I think both Jones and White are better than anything they had at the 3rd CB spot last year including Claiborne. I don't really see Claiborne playing much even if he is healthy. I would start Claiborne out on the PUP, but I don't think they will do it. Patella injuries are worst than ACL injuries from what I understand. I think the primary reason they are still intrigued by Claiborne is his potential for getting INTs. He seems to have better ball skills than Scandrick and Carr.

Great points
For Mo this is a huge year
He must play well to have any shot at a decent deal so if healthy he should be very motivated
I do like our depth which is so important
Someone will get injured and this roster seems much better suited to deal with injuries
If RO can get his head straight will be really nice too, but we have good depth at lb
About the only spot with real depth questions other than QB is OT
Hopefully someone will step up there
Weems would be the obvious choice but we shall see

 

[CyberB0b]

We basically got nothing from Henry Melton, so I see that as addition by subtraction. I love the versatility of our defensive line. Almost every player can play other roles in certain situations. I am not in love with our LB corps, especially with out unreliable McClain and Lee are (for different reasons). At least they tried to address depth there. On paper, it certainly looks like an improvement in nearly every aspect.

 

[itsaboat]

We basically got nothing from Henry Melton, so I see that as addition by subtraction...

Incorrect. Melton was 2nd on the team with 5 sacks and played about 300 less snaps than him. If we didn't have Melton we wouldn't have had a sack from the DL until around week 6 or 7. Melton was the majority of our pass rush the first 5 or 6 weeks of the season from the DL.

 

[xwalker]

Great points
For Mo this is a huge year
He must play well to have any shot at a decent deal so if healthy he should be very motivated
I do like our depth which is so important
Someone will get injured and this roster seems much better suited to deal with injuries
If RO can get his head straight will be really nice too, but we have good depth at lb
About the only spot with real depth questions other than QB is OT
Hopefully someone will step up there
Weems would be the obvious choice but we shall see

Agree. Backup OT is critical and none of the options have ever played OT in an NFL game.
Weems - Did't play in the 2014 preseason at all.
Collins - Rookie that has never played on the right side.
Green - Currently out after surgery.
Martin - If all else fails.

It is even worse considering Free is gimpy.

Problems at OT would mean problems keeping Romo healthy which is the #1 priority.

 

[xwalker]

Imagine what a thread like this would look like one year from today.

Projection for 2016:
Greg Hardy - Might not be affordable.
Tyrone Crawford - Will need a new contract.
Nick Hayden - Hopefully replaced as a starter by Bishop or McClain.
Lawrence - Will be in his 3rd season.
Terrell McClain - Still only 26 right now and under contract through 2016.
Randy Gregory - Hopefully a legit Star.
Jermey Mincey - Already 31.
Ken Bishop - Hopefully the starting 1tech.
Chris Whaley - Hopefully has a good 2015 season.
Russell - Hopefully has a good 2015 season.
Gardner - Hopefully has a good 2015 season.


Rolando McClain - Doubtful to return.
Anthony Hitchens - Could be the starting MLB in 2016 if not sooner.
Sean Lee - We'll see if he can finally stay healthy. Will moving to WLB help?
Brinkley - We'll see.
Gachkar - We'll see.
Wilson - Could be similar to Hitchens but hopefully he does not have to play much in 2015.
Rivers - Most likely a 2015 stopgap at best.


Scandrick - Still just 28.
Brandon Carr - Could be gone. Salary is scheduled to increase to 9.1M. Even with a big pay cut might be too expensive as a #3 CB.
Jones - Should become the #2 CB during the 2015 season.
Barry Church - Will have competition. Jones or White could play FS with Wilcox moving to SS.
JJ Wilcox - Should take a big step forward in 2015. Has the tools, needs experience.
Patmon/White - Can one of them become the #3 CB?
White - Has very good potential in Marinelli's defense at either FS or CB. He is a free agent after 2015.
Jeff Heath - Special Teams player but did replace Church on a few occasions in 2014 in obvious passing situations.

 

[Garrettop]

I expect to see see a LB, WR, DB and DT in next years draft. Maybe a QB and RB.