High praise for Cowboys defense

[Diehardblues]

Pro Football Focus (PFF) recently finished a series in which they ranked the top 32 players by position. Not so surprisingly the Dallas Cowboys landed quite a few of their players on the list. Today will take a look at Dallas’ defensive players who made PFF’s cut.

Parsons finished top five in both pass rush grade (92.2) and win rate (19.6%) over the last two years and is No. 1 in the league in our pass rush productivity metric.

Lawrence leads off the Tier 4 list. His pass-rush stats have faded a bit over the past few seasons, but he’s one of the top all-around edge players in the league due to how good he is against the run. He’s recorded 85.1 run defense and 88.1 pass rush culmulative grades since 2020.

LVE claimed the very last spot in PFF’s top 32 LB rankings. He was a key component to Dallas’ defense last season and and should continue to be so in 2023. He will be relied upon to lead a young group of LBs for the Cowboys this season.

According to PFF, the Cowboys have the top CB duo starting on the outside for them heading into 2023. Throw in DaRon Bland in the slot as their third CB, and they could possibly have the best trio starting for them the season as well.

The Dallas Cowboys were the only team to have three safeties make it into PFF’s top 32 rankings. Jayron Kearse, Donovan Wilson, and Malik Hooker all bring something a little different to Dallas’ defense and are all perfect fits for what Dan Quinn needs on the backend.

Full listings and story below..

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...AEdeqpggtSR94qsit13ya0inbfPjo&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

 

[shabazz]

The addition of Gilmore, Mazi and potential heat-seeking Overshown could make this a top 5 unit.

those dudes give me hope that we can get to that next level in the playoffs

Having said that the offense MUST not faulter in the playoffs and forget about just getting 12 points in a playoff game. IF they fix that, we could be in for a real ride.

 

[Robster8989]

While I don't feel this will be a completely dominant D (like the Doomsday D or the Jimmy era Ds), I feel really good about it.
Going into the offseason, I felt we had 4 importany needs to get better.
CB2, DT, LB and keeping some key FA's, especially keeping out depth at S by keeping Wilson, which we did.
The Gimore trade was a great move, and addressed a weakness. What a great pick Bland turned out to be, and our secondary is so much better than last years.This corner competition this year is going to be something to watch. Again, our secondary is better and deeper than a year ago.
The Mazi pick likewise addressed a longstanding weakness, and combined with keeping Hankins has turned that 1 tech defensive hole into a strength. We kept our Edge depth too, and again, the DLine as a whole is better than a year ago.
I do have a bit of concern at LB, though keeping LVE was a solid move.
Also, by keeping Wilson, Kearse remains a de facto LB.
We have some talented kids and it's their time to step up. If they do we are set. If thet do not, we could have some chinks in the armor.
All in all, it was a great off season for us on that side of the ball.
My great hope is that the offense can be a bit more ball control and clock chewing.
A simpler, West Coast, short passing game I believe will help Dak make better decisions.
Fewer TOs, more ball control.
We may gain fewer yards and score fewer points, but I believe we could be better overall with this type of Offense vs Moore's more open and deep passing Offense.
Really hope Tyron can stay healthy too. OLine looks great with him there, without him, it looks thin.
Time will tell.

 

[TheFinisher]

It’s hard to spot a weakness in the defense. Maybe CB depth or LB, but there are a lot of young players at those spots you would assume a couple take the next step in development. LB especially has some plus athletes with Clark, Overshown, and Cox.

That said, for the defense to be an elite unit we need someone other than Parsons who can threaten as a game wrecker. Maybe Mazi Smith turns out to be that kind of player inside, or maybe Sam Williams breaks out… but that is the one missing piece to truly put us over the top.

 

[Whirlwin]

While I don't feel this will be a completely dominant D (like the Doomsday D or the Jimmy era Ds), I feel really good about it.
Going into the offseason, I felt we had 4 importany needs to get better.
CB2, DT, LB and keeping some key FA's, especially keeping out depth at S by keeping Wilson, which we did.
The Gimore trade was a great move, and addressed a weakness. What a great pick Bland turned out to be, and our secondary is so much better than last years.This corner competition this year is going to be something to watch. Again, our secondary is better and deeper than a year ago.
The Mazi pick likewise addressed a longstanding weakness, and combined with keeping Hankins has turned that 1 tech defensive hole into a strength. We kept our Edge depth too, and again, the DLine as a whole is better than a year ago.
I do have a bit of concern at LB, though keeping LVE was a solid move.
Also, by keeping Wilson, Kearse remains a de facto LB.
We have some talented kids and it's their time to step up. If they do we are set. If thet do not, we could have some chinks in the armor.
All in all, it was a great off season for us on that side of the ball.
My great hope is that the offense can be a bit more ball control and clock chewing.
A simpler, West Coast, short passing game I believe will help Dak make better decisions.
Fewer TOs, more ball control.
We may gain fewer yards and score fewer points, but I believe we could be better overall with this type of Offense vs Moore's more open and deep passing Offense.
Really hope Tyron can stay healthy too. OLine looks great with him there, without him, it looks thin.
Time will tell.

The only thing missing is a Charles Haley

 

[Coogiguy03]

Go out and play the first game and say WHERE'S THIS DEFENSE!!? Let's wait and see

 

[Diehardblues]

It’s hard to spot a weakness in the defense. Maybe CB depth or LB, but there are a lot of young players at those spots you would assume a couple take the next step in development. LB especially has some plus athletes with Clark, Overshown, and Cox.

That said, for the defense to be an elite unit we need someone other than Parsons who can threaten as a game wrecker. Maybe Mazi Smith turns out to be that kind of player inside, or maybe Sam Williams breaks out… but that is the one missing piece to truly put us over the top.

I think most would say LB is the only weakness assuming we count Parsons as an edge rusher.

And it’s still left to be seen if our interior DL is much improved . It should be.

 

[BigDPlayer]

The addition of Gilmore, Mazi and potential heat-seeking Overshown could make this a top 5 unit.

those dudes give me hope that we can get to that next level in the playoffs

Having said that the offense MUST not faulter in the playoffs and forget about just getting 12 points in a playoff game. IF they fix that, we could be in for a real ride.

I agree…. And for a couple of years hopefully.

Personally, I am calling for a SB run akin to the early 90s! And yes, because we took a DT round one…. History and Karma colliding in a spectacular flurry of SB appearances!!!

Go Cowboys!!

 

[big dog cowboy]

Adding Gilmore and Mazi will be huge. Overshown will be a playmaker once the light comes on. Fehoko?

Others will step up this year. Sam, Bland. Clark. Cox? Mukuamu?

Pretty solid group and good enough to win a super bowl with.

 

[stuckindc]

The addition of Gilmore, Mazi and potential heat-seeking Overshown could make this a top 5 unit.

those dudes give me hope that we can get to that next level in the playoffs

Having said that the offense MUST not faulter in the playoffs and forget about just getting 12 points in a playoff game. IF they fix that, we could be in for a real ride.

Add Williams , Damone and Cox taking the next step.

 

[john van brocklin]

Pro Football Focus (PFF) recently finished a series in which they ranked the top 32 players by position. Not so surprisingly the Dallas Cowboys landed quite a few of their players on the list. Today will take a look at Dallas’ defensive players who made PFF’s cut.

Parsons finished top five in both pass rush grade (92.2) and win rate (19.6%) over the last two years and is No. 1 in the league in our pass rush productivity metric.

Lawrence leads off the Tier 4 list. His pass-rush stats have faded a bit over the past few seasons, but he’s one of the top all-around edge players in the league due to how good he is against the run. He’s recorded 85.1 run defense and 88.1 pass rush culmulative grades since 2020.

LVE claimed the very last spot in PFF’s top 32 LB rankings. He was a key component to Dallas’ defense last season and and should continue to be so in 2023. He will be relied upon to lead a young group of LBs for the Cowboys this season.

According to PFF, the Cowboys have the top CB duo starting on the outside for them heading into 2023. Throw in DaRon Bland in the slot as their third CB, and they could possibly have the best trio starting for them the season as well.

The Dallas Cowboys were the only team to have three safeties make it into PFF’s top 32 rankings. Jayron Kearse, Donovan Wilson, and Malik Hooker all bring something a little different to Dallas’ defense and are all perfect fits for what Dan Quinn needs on the backend.

Full listings and story below..

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...AEdeqpggtSR94qsit13ya0inbfPjo&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

I am now officially geeked about the upcoming season

 

[gimmesix]

I'm not that high on Hooker. I think he's an adequate free safety, but feel we could have a better playmaker on the back end. Maybe I'm underestimating him. He's certainly not a player we need to replace, just one I feel we could upgrade.

That being said, this safety unit is still the best we've had in years.

 

[Montanalo]

I think the defense is, on paper, better than last year's but, I still think we're missing a dominate pass rushing DT3.

 

[TwistedL0g1k]

This is a championship caliber defense! Last year's was too, but it looks even better now.

It's been a long time coming...

 

[ChuckA1]

This defense is going to be scary...

For the opposition, that is

 

[plasticman]

I can't emphasis the importance of a strong running game when it comes to the success of the defense.

A strong running game controls the clock and keep the opponent defense on the field. This results in additional rest for our defense and additional stress for the opponent offense.

 

[ChuckA1]

I can't emphasis the importance of a strong running game when it comes to the success of the defense.

A strong running game controls the clock and keep the opponent defense on the field. This results in additional rest for our defense and additional stress for the opponent offense.

Is the team there yet with the right players, or do they need to go out and bring in another good back?

 

[Whirlwin]

Now they have tape on us lol. I was waiting for an accurate statement.

 

[gimmesix]

I think the defense is, on paper, better than last year's but, I still think we're missing a dominate pass rushing DT3.

Well, we took Mazi in the first round hoping that he could turn into that guy. At worst, he's a safe NT who will make the run defense better from that position. At best, he's a NT/3-tech who is a top-notch run stopper and can push the pocket consistently against the pass.

I think expecting him to be a pocket pusher as a rookie is asking too much, though, since he didn't consistently show he could make that kind of impact in college so the pick might not pay dividends from that aspect this first year, just against the run.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

It’s hard to spot a weakness in the defense. Maybe CB depth or LB, but there are a lot of young players at those spots you would assume a couple take the next step in development. LB especially has some plus athletes with Clark, Overshown, and Cox.

That said, for the defense to be an elite unit we need someone other than Parsons who can threaten as a game wrecker. Maybe Mazi Smith turns out to be that kind of player inside, or maybe Sam Williams breaks out… but that is the one missing piece to truly put us over the top.

I mean until proven otherwise i'd say the interior line and linebacker play is the big question marks and are the weaknesses until shown otherwise.