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The Dallas Cowboys wasted no time getting into defensive injury trouble at the start of training camp. Jay Ratliff pulled a hamstring in the opening conditioning test and Tyrone Crawford is now lost for the season after rupturing an Achilles. Dallas needs to rethink their roster and sign a veteran defensive lineman in a hurry if they are going to make the Kiffin/Marinelli scheme work in 2013.
Early indications are that camp will be even more uptempo than years past, so expect more strains to come. Crawford was going to play a major role in the defensive line rotation as he is young, explosive and on the rise. Now he is on IR.
Dallas must come to terms with the reality they face: an older starting front four, a division full of offenses that will challenge this team in a number of unique ways and a shortage of quality depth on their line.
It's time to go shopping. Richard Seymour is still available at tackle and John Abraham is still available at defensive end. No, these are not ideal candidates for Dallas' scheme, but they are quality players who are still unsigned. This means that below them there are guys with more tread on their tires that could be coached up.
Here is a short list of defensive tackles on the market:
Sione Po'uha
Richard Seymour (DE in 3-4)
Corey Williams
Justin Bannan (DE in 3-4)
Shaun Cody
Ron Edwards
Amobi Okoye
Rocky Bernard
Ty Warren (DE in 3-4)
Casey Hampton
Spencer Johnson
Anthony Hargrove (DE in 3-4)
Ma'ake Kemoeatu
Here are some defensive ends that remain available:
John Abraham
Kyle Vanden Bosch
Ray Edwards
Jamaal Anderson (DT)
Jonathan Fanene (DE in 3-4/DT in 4-3)
Trevor Scott (OLB in 3-4)
Juqua Parker
Jacques Cesaire
Dave Tollefson
Jarvis Moss (OLB in 3-4)
Patrick Chukwurah
Nick Eason
Antwan Applewhite (OLB in 3-4)
Vonnie Holliday
Tim Crowder
Darrion Scott
Dallas' personnel department already knows who their best options are. The question is, will they pull the trigger now so that Marinelli has time to work the new player(s) into his systems? Will they be stubborn, as they were in last year's camp with the offensive line? We all saw how well that worked out for the season.
Last year Dallas had an opportunity to add additional veteran guards in training camp after they were decimated by injuries along the line. Having just spent a bundle on Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau, they were in no mood to invest any more money. It was a mistake that cost them the playoffs.
This year, Dallas has a chance to learn from the mistakes of last year's camp. The franchise needs to deal with the reality of the defensive line and sign some veteran help. If they won't do that, it says all that needs to be said about their seriousness regarding a playoff run.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
Continue reading...
Early indications are that camp will be even more uptempo than years past, so expect more strains to come. Crawford was going to play a major role in the defensive line rotation as he is young, explosive and on the rise. Now he is on IR.
Dallas must come to terms with the reality they face: an older starting front four, a division full of offenses that will challenge this team in a number of unique ways and a shortage of quality depth on their line.
It's time to go shopping. Richard Seymour is still available at tackle and John Abraham is still available at defensive end. No, these are not ideal candidates for Dallas' scheme, but they are quality players who are still unsigned. This means that below them there are guys with more tread on their tires that could be coached up.
Here is a short list of defensive tackles on the market:
Sione Po'uha
Richard Seymour (DE in 3-4)
Corey Williams
Justin Bannan (DE in 3-4)
Shaun Cody
Ron Edwards
Amobi Okoye
Rocky Bernard
Ty Warren (DE in 3-4)
Casey Hampton
Spencer Johnson
Anthony Hargrove (DE in 3-4)
Ma'ake Kemoeatu
Here are some defensive ends that remain available:
John Abraham
Kyle Vanden Bosch
Ray Edwards
Jamaal Anderson (DT)
Jonathan Fanene (DE in 3-4/DT in 4-3)
Trevor Scott (OLB in 3-4)
Juqua Parker
Jacques Cesaire
Dave Tollefson
Jarvis Moss (OLB in 3-4)
Patrick Chukwurah
Nick Eason
Antwan Applewhite (OLB in 3-4)
Vonnie Holliday
Tim Crowder
Darrion Scott
Dallas' personnel department already knows who their best options are. The question is, will they pull the trigger now so that Marinelli has time to work the new player(s) into his systems? Will they be stubborn, as they were in last year's camp with the offensive line? We all saw how well that worked out for the season.
Last year Dallas had an opportunity to add additional veteran guards in training camp after they were decimated by injuries along the line. Having just spent a bundle on Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau, they were in no mood to invest any more money. It was a mistake that cost them the playoffs.
This year, Dallas has a chance to learn from the mistakes of last year's camp. The franchise needs to deal with the reality of the defensive line and sign some veteran help. If they won't do that, it says all that needs to be said about their seriousness regarding a playoff run.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
Continue reading...