News: Cowboys haven't had a Top 20 pass rush in five years, help won't come in draft

[CCBoy]

Cowboys haven't had a Top 20 pass rush in five years, help won't come in draft

http://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/201...s-rush-in-five-years-help-wont-come-in-draft/



The Dallas Cowboys need pass rush help, but there might not be any to be had. Over the last four years Dallas has ranked 25th, 28th, 25th and tied for 20th in total team sacks. It’s been since 2011 when they cracked the Top 20, ranking tied for 7th with 42 takedowns. The Cowboys will have to generate more pressure, and more results, to have any hope of contending for a Super Bowl.

The club sat by and watched the majority of free agent talent at the edge rusher position sign with other clubs. Some players, such as Olivier Vernon, received mammoth deals that the club intelligently avoided. Still, at a position where draft additions rarely make an immediate impact, the team is in danger of entering another season with questions about their ability to pressure opposing quarterbacks.

Dallas has young players like DE Demarcus Lawrence and 3T Tyrone Crawford to pin their hopes on. Both had career highs in sacks in 2015. The issue is those highs were 8 and 5 sacks respectively. There isn’t a player on Dallas’ roster with proven pass-rush pedigree.

The club has chosen the fiscally-responsible approach of not being involved in free agency’s first wave, but at what point does a club admit it needs to take a chance to accomplish their goals? The importance of edge rush for a defense is paramount to overall success. Without it, games regularly come down to whichever team has the ball last...

 

[CCBoy]

The team has been connected to draft prospects such as Joey Bosa and DeForest Buckner for their selection at number four in various mocks, but rarely do rookie DEs make big impacts to the sack total. The average sack total for a Top 10 rookie edge rusher is 4.7.

*(from the OP referenced)

 

[CCBoy]

...The majority of the pass rush talent has been signed. Von Miller was franchise tagged, while Mario Williams signed with the Miami Dolphins. Olivier Vernon signed a silly $17m a year contract with the New York Giants who also re-upped with Jason Pierre Paul. Tamba Hali re-signed with Kansas City while after being released by them, Charles Johnson returned to the Carolina Panthers for just $3 million. Adrian Clayborn was of interest to Dallas, but signed with Atlanta.

As it stands now, the remaining premiere rush talent that could make an impact are Greg Hardy, Aldon Smith and Junior Gallette. All three have off-field issues that make them risky investments. Smith in fact won’t even be eligible to play until mid-November, and that’s if he’s reinstated by the league after a one-year ban for substance abuse.

The club has publicly distanced itself from Hardy due to his conduct off-the-field last year, despite being a key to Lawrence’s development.

Galette might be the best option remaining. He had 22 sacks in his last two years in New Orleans, but left for a one-year deal in Washington after video surfaced of him being involved in a beach brawl. He missed the entire 2015 season with a torn achilles...

*(from the OP referenced)

 

[SHAMSzy]

Bring Hardy back. 1 year team friendly deal, he has no leverage

 

[CCBoy]

Bring Hardy back. 1 year team friendly deal, he has no leverage

He is lingering on the fringes, and Dallas absolutely needs an additional outside force on defense....yesterday.

 

[CCBoy]

This is an outside shot:

Chris Long, Age: 30, Team: Los Angeles Rams, 2015 cap hit: $12,500,000

The eight-year veteran could give the Cowboys' pass rush a boost if they can get a meeting with him. He's set to visit with the Atlanta Falcons in the near future. After playing every game of his career for the first six seasons, he's played just 18 of the last 32 games due to knee injuries. When healthy, he's frequently in the opposing team's backfield. During his first six years in the league, he averaged more than eight sacks per season.

George: Cowboys don't have meeting set up with Chris Long
http://sportsday.***BANNED-URL***/d...ent-chris-long-schedules-visit-dallas-cowboys




Or DeMarcus Ware if Denver is unable to negotiate a new contract with him...He's due $11 Million on his contract for this season. But Stephen would have to come to the table with his check book for either of this pair of possible replacements for outside pressure.

 

[Idgit]

You don't say. And here I thought our issue was with the offensive play calling.

 

[CCBoy]

You don't say. And here I thought our issue was with the offensive play calling.

Alright, I'll play...see solution in either topic?

If not, what's getting done?

Going on outside pressure alone, this is prominent right now, with all the developments short of resigning Hardy:

Eastern Kentucky’s Noah Spence is your prototypical speed rusher that wreaks havoc off the edge with his hands in the ground and as a standup outside linebacker, but with the Cowboys taking risks on Gregory and Hardy last off-season, the red flags (suspended at Ohio State for failing drug tests and arrested for public intoxication in ‘15) of Spence may have the Joneses pass on the 6-2, 251 pound fluid athlete that can beat tackles with his quickness on the outside.
Read more at http://cover32.com/2016/03/09/improving-edge-game-imperative-cowboys/#WbFGmSWZBDPCyilS.99

He can handle the job description...you have a better option?


Oh, I see the candor...invest in a soft seat cushion this year.

 

[superonyx]

We are looking at pressure wrong...our team always just looks at our DE's and blames them for our lack of pass rush. Look at the teams who are in the top 10 in sacks each year and look at who they have playing DE. It will show that pressure comes from many positions and is created by the system. Denver, Seattle, Carolina, don't have amazing individual talent at DE. They don't have 2 DE each getting 12 sacks per year...they have systems that send pressure from disguised players and angles at the right time...

We could go get the 2 top DE's in the league and we would still end up in the bottom 50% of the league if we don't change the defense philosophy to create pressure...this requires a strategy shift from the line, the LBers and the secondary.

I agree with the article...if we think Bosa or Buckner or anyone in the draft willl turn our pass rush problems around we will be very disappointed.

 

[Zimmy Lives]

Ideally, you would prefer to see your young talent step up their game. Unfortunately, all the young talent is coming back from a recent surgery or dealing with a suspension. Right now it is not looking promising the improved pass rush will come from within.

 

[StarBoyz83]

Were drafting and building to compete in a couple seasons. We should be stout and able to compete in the 17-18 or 18-19 season. Just need some good drafts.

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

Is he suggesting that replacing Greg Hardy's 6 sacks with Oliver Vernon's 7.5 on that albatross of a contract would have put Dallas over the top? I mean, Hardy really pushed Dallas into the upper echelon last season so big time Free Agency just has to be a formula for success!

Dallas needs to draft young talent on the D-line to match what they have done on the O-line. It's the smarter play and will allow them the cap space to sign FredBeard and Martin when the time comes.

 

[Silver N Blue]

...The majority of the pass rush talent has been signed. Von Miller was franchise tagged, while Mario Williams signed with the Miami Dolphins. Olivier Vernon signed a silly $17m a year contract with the New York Giants who also re-upped with Jason Pierre Paul. Tamba Hali re-signed with Kansas City while after being released by them, Charles Johnson returned to the Carolina Panthers for just $3 million. Adrian Clayborn was of interest to Dallas, but signed with Atlanta.

As it stands now, the remaining premiere rush talent that could make an impact are Greg Hardy, Aldon Smith and Junior Gallette. All three have off-field issues that make them risky investments. Smith in fact won’t even be eligible to play until mid-November, and that’s if he’s reinstated by the league after a one-year ban for substance abuse.

The club has publicly distanced itself from Hardy due to his conduct off-the-field last year, despite being a key to Lawrence’s development.

Galette might be the best option remaining. He had 22 sacks in his last two years in New Orleans, but left for a one-year deal in Washington after video surfaced of him being involved in a beach brawl. He missed the entire 2015 season with a torn achilles...

*(from the OP referenced)

Good stuff. With the map that appears to be on the table right now they could still bring in a stop gap vet like Freeney and take that edge rusher in rds 2-4. Just my gut and nothing more I think they are going QB, RB or trading down with that first pick.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

The team is going to have a better pass rush simply by not having a guy out there for hundreds of passing downs who hasn't had a sack in 5 years.

 

[Sydla]

We are looking at pressure wrong...our team always just looks at our DE's and blames them for our lack of pass rush. Look at the teams who are in the top 10 in sacks each year and look at who they have playing DE. It will show that pressure comes from many positions and is created by the system. Denver, Seattle, Carolina, don't have amazing individual talent at DE. They don't have 2 DE each getting 12 sacks per year...they have systems that send pressure from disguised players and angles at the right time...

We could go get the 2 top DE's in the league and we would still end up in the bottom 50% of the league if we don't change the defense philosophy to create pressure...this requires a strategy shift from the line, the LBers and the secondary.

I agree with the article...if we think Bosa or Buckner or anyone in the draft willl turn our pass rush problems around we will be very disappointed.

One quibble.......... throw Denver out. They are a 3-4 and DEs in a 3-4 aren't necessarily big sacks guys. Denver has two of the league's better outside pass rushers in Ware and Miller. System or not, Miller and Ware are terrors on the edge as 3-4 OLBs. So in their defense, those guys are the "DEs" comparable to a 4-3 defense.

But I will agree that our philosophy is the bigger problem.

I think Jerry made a mistake extending Garrett and bringing this entire staff back. I suspect over the next 2-3 years while he tries to win with Romo, you are going to see the same week in and week out frustrating play from this team. This is just not a very good coaching staff IMO. League average, most likely.

 

[The Natural]

Rankins in the 2nd

 

[Aven8]

You don't say. And here I thought our issue was with the offensive play calling.

It still is Idgit!

 

[RS12]

Rankins in the 2nd

While I agree Rankins would help the pass rush, he wont be there in the second. Several teams who draft in the 20's are known to covet him. I think there are other DTs that could help though. Watch for Nkemdiche at 34.

 

[StarMan2112]

Bring Hardy back. 1 year team friendly deal, he has no leverage

I wouldn't want a locker room cancer like him if he'd play for free.

 

[bsheeern]

So in the grand scheme of things, how does this affect the way we view our Corner play. Considering we've had no pressure to speak of over the last 4 years, it has to have some affect on how we as fans should view our corner play correct?