Defensive line: Hard decisions to be made

[chuck520]

I think you are underestimating how hard it is to find good DTs around the league. We have 2 good ones and one great one, despite Clark not quite living up to his initial hype at times. We need a good to great DE to help the interior players get more 1 on 1s. While I like the idea of the 5 man front in very rare instances, ideally we need to be able to generate a pass rush and stop the run with 4 and not 5 down linemen. When you have 5 down linemen and don't immediately get home on the pass rush it just leaves too many 1 on 1s or holes in the zone.

Move Osa to DE so he can create pass rush to the outside, he;s not doing much inside

 

[Bigrandrn]

Yup.

Clarke gonna get traded or post June cut. Maybe restructure his deal.

I’d keep him. Him with Q have shown dominance at times…..Clark moves people….and I bet if we get a better coordinator who can scheme, Clark with Q would be better than Q and Osa. I’d use a first on a DE….EZE is a year better and keep all 3 DTs, maybe resign Clowney. Then we can use one first on DE, maybe trade the other back for a 2 and 3 and get LB and Cb or S, and then pick up 2 free agents. Would need to rework contracts of course, figure out to do with RT. I just think a new D coach would get more out of what we have, Flus is garbage at scheme, game planning, adjustments…all of it. Of course we need more players, but man, just a new coach would upgrade SOME lol.

 

[Bigrandrn]

Osa will stay due to guarantees, alone.

Clark I think they will try to redo his deal. Either restructure or a cut but add some guarantees.

Don't think they'll add much more, especially with Thomas still signed for another year and keeping Oprah's son(jk).

DE is where they need to invest in.
Williams and Fowler are UFA, and both can walk for all I care. So is Clowney, who at least appears to be average in run stopping and pass rush, but feel like he's full mercenary right now, so the highest bidder will win, either in March or week2.

Think you can pencil in a DE with one of the 1st rounders already.

Agree…..DE in first, I want Clark back…..he has shown promise with Q, better than OSA…and with a new coach, bet he gets them to play better with scheme alone. Still need other FA though and probably trade back the other first for a 2 and 3 for Lb, CB and S.

 

[jay94]

I’d keep him. Him with Q have shown dominance at times…..Clark moves people….and I bet if we get a better coordinator who can scheme, Clark with Q would be better than Q and Osa. I’d use a first on a DE….EZE is a year better and keep all 3 DTs, maybe resign Clowney. Then we can use one first on DE, maybe trade the other back for a 2 and 3 and get LB and Cb or S, and then pick up 2 free agents. Would need to rework contracts of course, figure out to do with RT. I just think a new D coach would get more out of what we have, Flus is garbage at scheme, game planning, adjustments…all of it. Of course we need more players, but man, just a new coach would upgrade SOME lol.

He is no where near worth 23 million or whatever, I bet on open market tops he gets is 8 million.

 

[Cowboyny]

The only real question for me would be Clark. I doubt he’s back at his current cap hit, but would he be willing to take a cheaper deal? OSA wouldn’t be worth it to dump him this early into a new deal.

Then I think there is a high probability we look at a 1st round edge player.

I believe they save 10 million with restructuring his contract, they also can give him an extension that would lower that cap number

 

[thunderpimp91]

I believe they save 10 million with restructuring his contract, they also can give him an extension that would lower that cap number

This will be an unpopular opinion, but I think the bigger issue is how much value Clark brings at this stage in his career. Still a good player don’t get me wrong but he’s not the elite player he once was and is now on the wrong side of 30 where I’d be careful about an extension.

Depends on who the DC is next year a 3rd DT may be a luxury and his $20m cap hit….or even $10m cap hit could be used on a full time stater at DB or LB.

 

[Creeper]

I think they keep all three. First, you don't trade away a first and second round picks for Williams unless you intend to keep him for the rest of his contract. He is not going anywhere.

Then, You just paid Osa so he isn't going anywhere either. they'll probably convert most of his 2026 salary to bonus and spread it out over the rest of his contract so his number comes down a lot.

Finally, there is Kenny Clark. He is due an $11 million roster bonus in 2026. Roster bonuses cannot be pro-rated, but they can be converted to signing bonuses. Look for Dallas to rework Clarks contract - maybe extending him 1 more year can converting his roster bonus to a signing bonus which would make his CAP hit significantly lower.

This is what we want to happen because for the first time in year the Cowboys actually have a decent interior DL.

Now the problem is fixing teh outside edges.

Typically teams do not sacrifice on strength for another like Dallas did when they traded parsons. Usually, you build around one strength to make the team better. Now we have to see if the Cowboys will suffer horrendous edge play for years like they did with their DTs, or will they actually do something significant to fix the problem immediately.

 

[Cowboyny]

This will be an unpopular opinion, but I think the bigger issue is how much value Clark brings at this stage in his career. Still a good player don’t get me wrong but he’s not the elite player he once was and is now on the wrong side of 30 where I’d be careful about an extension.

Depends on who the DC is next year a 3rd DT may be a luxury and his $20m cap hit….or even $10m cap hit could be used on a full time stater at DB or LB.

I think Clark's worth isn't so much inside the box score, he remains very good against the run and offers some rush abilities. He is the lesser version of Williams. More of a fan of Clark then I am of Osa who is a major liability against the run and isn't an elite pass rusher, either.

 

[Bigrandrn]

He is no where near worth 23 million or whatever, I bet on open market tops he gets is 8 million.

Restructure. He played better than OSA. He’s still better than a lot of DTs out there. He regularly got push on guys guarding him.

 

[Johannes44]

I think all would agree that Quinnen Williams is a clear keeper at DT.

Why bother trading for him and burning a first round pick just for half a year where your team achieved nothing? The Cowboys if anything need to add a pass rusher and at least 2 solid linebackers that can actually play. One more corner and a Safety. If anything they should dedicate the next several drafts just to fix the defense. The only way this team goes anywhere if we build a defense that holds opponents to single digit scores.

Let Sam Williams walk, he isn't a force multiplier and is more of a knucklehead than anything else.

 

[Floatyworm]

They will keep Q and Osa

I'm thinking trading Osa for a DE might be our best move. Think we really missed out on Soloman Thomas. Everytime he gets reps...He shows up on tape. Still want to see what Winfrey has to offer.

 

[Robster8989]

I think all would agree that Quinnen Williams is a clear keeper at DT. EZE is another player that you would hope will become a mainstay of a “NEW” defense next year.

But what about Clark and OSA? Clark played pretty well when he was first traded to us but has been pretty quiet as of late. Is he getting worn down without adequate help? Also he comes with a pretty healthy price tag. That has to be stirred in as well.

What about OSA? It looks like we paid him to be great and he’s just average. Clark is probably a starting level player but is he worth his cap charge. OSA may not be a starting caliber level player. Are either one worth what they will be paid as rotational players?

Ideally you would keep both and add a legit DT and DE in the draft, but the defense has many holes and you really want to draft BPA and fill your holes in free agency.

The Cowboys have the ammo to move up inside the top 10 if they chose to do that but we need a large volume of talent incoming on this team and I don’t think moving up is a luxury they can afford to do.

In fact moving down with one of those picks might be the smart thing to do, especially if a team needs a QB and Dallas is on the clock.

The defense needs help at all three levels, but it all starts up front with pressure. And right now we are clearly not getting enough pressure up front.

Excellent thread topic, thank you for posting it.

For me, DT is now such a strength (really our only position of strength on D now). All 4 are signed for next season. Obviously Q is the King. Osa is not going anywhere due to his contract. I agree with you that he was just average and not playing to his contract, but we really can;t move him for financial reasons. His deal does have an easy out after next season, so he is here until then. Thomas is cheap and a nice pro for the rotation.
Clark is due 21.5 (way above his worth) and all of it can be saved by releasing him. Still, I like him and the depth, so I would consider restructuring him. We can save 10 mil on a restructure.
Another option there is releasing Clark and saving the 21.5, but then sign a well priced vet to replace him (Shelden Rankins and Shelby Harris come to mind). They'd cost a lot less so we'd save money overall.
For me, I'd restructure Clark and keep all 4 of our DTs. I like Clark and I like the chemistry there, and I think Jerry wouldn't want to lose the player they got for Micah.

At Edge, we have EZ and Houston signed, so likely 3 slots open.
I actually think Clowney and Fowler have been really solid this year, so I'd consider bringing them both back. OTC has their valuation around 4-6 each, which is quite reasonable. Then I like going Edge with 1 of our first rounders.

So I'd have Q, Osa, Clark, Thomas and then a 5th DT on the cheap.
Then Clowney, Fowler, EZ a first rounders and Houston at Edge.

That's 10 would be really good, very deep and financially responsible too.
You literally could sign Fowler and Clowney for the Clark savings from a restructure. The DL would be the strength of the D, then we can concentrate on the rest of the D with the other first rounders and FA.

 

[goshann]

Yup.

Clarke gonna get traded or post June cut. Maybe restructure his deal.

He won’t get cut

 

[Stak78]

I don't think Quinnen, Clark or Osa is going anywhere. They are all under contract and cutting any of them would mean that we have another hole to fill when we already have plenty. I think we'll simply turn Clark's roster bonus into a prorated bonus, which could lower his cap hit to around $15 million.

I hope that we'll re-sign Clowney, but he and Houston need to be role players. We need a stud DE to pair with Eze and to take advantage/open things up for the DTs.

Frankly, with the DTs we have now, I'd consider switching to more of a Wade Phillips-style 3-4, where the DTs attack instead of just absorb blockers. I'd look for a defensive coordinator who can implement that.

I like the way you think. I want Clowney to solidify the position as an early down DE and Houston as the pass rush specialist. We need to let Sam Williams and Fowler walk. As much as we need a linebacker, safety and cornerback. With the loss of both Micah and Kneeland, we will need to use a 1st on an edge rusher to pair with Eze. I agree with you and like an attacking d-line as opposed to one where they engage the blockers an read and react.

 

[Verdict]

I think Clark's worth isn't so much inside the box score, he remains very good against the run and offers some rush abilities. He is the lesser version of Williams. More of a fan of Clark then I am of Osa who is a major liability against the run and isn't an elite pass rusher, either.

Yeah. In a vacuum Clark sure seems to be a better player than OSA.

 

[EPL0c0]

letting DLaw go didn't help.

His leadership was a big loss, but none of the DEs on the squad are anywhere as disruptive as DLaw could be

They need a DE that demands double-teams (DAL had 2)

 

[Robster8989]

letting DLaw go didn't help.

His leadership was a big loss, but none of the DEs on the squad are anywhere as disruptive as DLaw could be

They need a DE that demands double-teams (DAL had 2)

I'm a DLaw fan as well.
The problem was that at his age, he signed a 3 year deal at like 33 mil.
The Cowboys had invested heavily at the position in the Draft.
We had Micah at the time, and I don't think we knew at that time that Micah would be gone.
We also had 2nd round investments in Williams and Kneeland, which obviously did not work out.
I think at the time though the idea was you need to let the young guys play to see what you have, so DLaw (the high priced guy past his prime) was allowed to move on. He certainly looks good for the Seahawks though.

 

[gtb1943]

Resign Clowney and pretty much stand pat for the DL

see if there is any real worth in Toia and the rest.

Our D line is pretty good; easily the best unit of the D.