How Much Did We Improve on Defense?

[Pass2Run]

I thought they would honestly. I wonder if Parker doesn’t think he’s a fit.

Or maybe they want to wait until after week 1 so his contract isn’t guaranteed.

I think it's the second part. Clowney probably doesn't want to go to camp either.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Has he been a DC?

Not before coming here.

 

[HungryLion]

I think it's the second part. Clowney probably doesn't want to go to camp either.

That’s very likely true as well.

 

[Beaker42]

Compared to last year, how much did we improve?

If we have Christian Parker last year, we win at least two more games. Just on coaching alone.

We also got Gary, Lawrence, Ezeiruaku more experienced, Quinnen, Kenny Clark, Caleb Downs? Who even does that? We also got Overton, Barham, Jalen Thompson, Dee Winters, Overshown is coming back, we picked up Cobie Durant. And we have guys like Bell and Reddy.

Pinch me. I was ready to give up last year. This is looking like a new team.

And that's a good thing.

Maybe it's not yet complete, but that is indeed one heck of a rebuild.

Anyone sense one more trade coming before the season starts?

I do.

I give the off-season rebuild a solid A.

We should’ve kept Clowney. Not sold yet on Gary. We downgraded IMO.

 

[DarkVader33]

Right. For all the good Michael did rushing the passer, he negated it by over playing the pass and giving up the run.

Addition by subtraction. Maybe you can do that when you have a good overall run defense. But we couldn't afford one because Michael was going to cost too much.

1. Micah sold his soul for the almighty sack

2. Wouldn’t have made much difference if he hadn’t since the rest of the D and DC sucked

3. Even if we could have afforded some better talent around Micah, dumdum Jerry would have been cheap about it after signing him.

We are better off without Micah even though he’s a good player

 

[DarkVader33]

I have to wonder if they still bring back, as the fake Jerry Jones calls him, Jebedon Clownsey. I mean, why not?

Are we still talking football or Star Wars characters?

Just kidding!

 

[kskboys]

We should’ve kept Clowney. Not sold yet on Gary. We downgraded IMO.

Not a downgrade. Same player. Gary is prolly a little better. Plus, Clowney is 34.

 

[beware_d-ware]

Agreed that Gary and Clowney are similar players, but I think Clowney is straight-up better and he would be cheaper.

But Clowney's just gonna do what he always does... sign a 1 year deal at the start of the season, then provide pretty good #2 DE play for yet another new team. He's had one of the strangest NFL careers I've seen.

 

[big dog cowboy]

We should’ve kept Clowney.

Consider he is still a FA.

 

[HungryLion]

Agreed that Gary and Clowney are similar players, but I think Clowney is straight-up better and he would be cheaper.

But Clowney's just gonna do what he always does... sign a 1 year deal at the start of the season, then provide pretty good #2 DE play for yet another new team. He's had one of the strangest NFL careers I've seen.

There’s an age factor. You need guys like Gary. He hasn’t been a great pass rusher but as part of a rotation he is useful.

Ideally if Eze and Lawrence reach their potential
And become the quality starting edge rushers they can be. Then having Gary as your rotational guy to give them rest would be great.

I think that’s where the age factor comes in. The Cowboys got Gary and plan to keep
Him for a while. Whereas Clowney is on one year rentals. Gary they have locked up
For 2.

 

[StarBoyz83]

I dont see that many upgrades and see a downgrade or 2. tbh hoping they can get to be at least like 22-23 best defense this season. Its a building year for the defense. Too many new pieces to expect more the first season imo

 

[kskboys]

Agreed that Gary and Clowney are similar players, but I think Clowney is straight-up better and he would be cheaper.

But Clowney's just gonna do what he always does... sign a 1 year deal at the start of the season, then provide pretty good #2 DE play for yet another new team. He's had one of the strangest NFL careers I've seen.

I just don't see how he's better. Why?

 

[kskboys]

There’s an age factor. You need guys like Gary. He hasn’t been a great pass rusher but as part of a rotation he is useful.

Ideally if Eze and Lawrence reach their potential
And become the quality starting edge rushers they can be. Then having Gary as your rotational guy to give them rest would be great.

I think that’s where the age factor comes in. The Cowboys got Gary and plan to keep
Him for a while. Whereas Clowney is on one year rentals. Gary they have locked up
For 2.

Gary is a prototypical strongside LB. Good for 7-9 sacks consistently. What makes you think he's a rotational type?

 

[deerhunter11]

You can say this. But people see a different set of characteristics and approach with CP. We haven't seen this kind of hire before. Ever. And it needed to be done.

You can say this is the same thing as every year, but it's not. I was as deflated and discouraged about the defense as anyone. But I know why that was. And I'm optimistic about how they corrected it.

I just wish we had Bones back on ST. He should have stayed.

I think Ol Jerry realized what a bad mistake he made with the hiring of Eberflus. And also some of the players that were signed in free agency last season, and he decided to back off and let Schottenheimer ,and these coaches buy the groceries for the feast this season . It's gonna be better around here , I don't have a doubt about that, optimism can be felt, I can feel it loud and clear. Dallas will have to continue next year in the draft and free agency again but this team is coming.

 

[Pass2Run]

We should’ve kept Clowney. Not sold yet on Gary. We downgraded IMO.

Clowney is probably a little better at the pass rush, Gary better at the run. But we'll see. I think they are pretty similar and wed be better with both.

I don't know if he ends up, no pun, available or not, but if he ends up being available, I think he's probably still in the mix, unless the younger guys really shine. But Clowney is gonna skip camp anyway.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I dont see that many upgrades

Please read this:

https://cowboyszone.com/threads/how-much-did-we-improve-on-defense.545186/post-14845862

 

[deerhunter11]

Quinnen and Kenny were here last year but the situation is much different for them.

First, Parker’s scheme is a better fit for them, IMO. It is exactly what Williams did for Saban at Alabama and what got him drafted 3rd overall. Kenny ran a similar scheme in GB for the first part of his career and was very good at it.

Secondly, they’ve both had OTA’s, Minicamps, and unlike last season, they will have a full training camp preparing to run this defense.

Third, Ogbonnia, Bullard, and Overton are better than the group of guys that was backing up the two starters last season (IMO). Ognonnia in particular is a really good DT who will bring toughness and physical play inside. I thought he was an important FA pickup and I feel like people are sleeping on him.

Side note: I do like Osa as a player. He’s a solid pass rushing DT, who is the right kind of guy. He just isn’t particularly a good fit for what he’d be asked to do for Parker. He could do it, but he was paid like (and is) a pass rusher and that wouldn’t be money well spent in this defense. He also isn’t a big, brutishly strong guy like Parker wants in there much of the time.

Anyway, my expectations are that the DL is going to play very well and work much more smoothly with the LB’s and DB’s in a cohesive defense. Cohesion is where a chunk of the defensive improvement will come from, I think. It is a really important part of playing good defensive football, and it was sorely lacking last year, which was unfortunately very evident.

IOW, I expect the DL to be significantly improved even though the best two players on it played the last half of 2025 in Dallas.

Playing together as parts of a bigger machine can drastically change how good (or not) that a defensive unit can be.

I’m excited about it.

I can see and feel some great team chemistry being built within this team. This is a better team than last year in both the players and the coaches.

 

[StarW]

I have to wonder if they still bring back, as the fake Jerry Jones calls him, Jebedon Clownsey. I mean, why not?

If the price is right once we get in to camp, maybe we kick tires on a vet? I think LB and OLB are both still thin and could be liabilities if a starter goes down inside or or outside.

Safty and DT are tight, but LB and CB have plenty of unknowns.

I'd like sure up another position group by signing another vet like Clowney or Bosa to stabilize our defensive front while Lawrence and EZ develop. Houston is a situational PR, Williams is wild card, Liufao?, Snowden? etc.. who knows?

When you break it down, there's much to be desired when you get down the OLB depth chart:
EZ
Gary
Lawrence
Houston
Williams
Snowden
Liufao
Land
Wheat

 

[HungryLion]

Gary is a prototypical strongside LB. Good for 7-9 sacks consistently. What makes you think he's a rotational type?

I would prefer to have somebody with more juice off the edge. Also the 3rd edge still plays a ton of snaps.

Ideally guys like Eze and Lawrence develop into better players than he is.

 

[DarkVader33]

Agreed that Gary and Clowney are similar players, but I think Clowney is straight-up better and he would be cheaper.

But Clowney's just gonna do what he always does... sign a 1 year deal at the start of the season, then provide pretty good #2 DE play for yet another new team. He's had one of the strangest NFL careers I've seen.

It reminds me of the corner from the Pats that went on to have a similar career as Clowney, moving around wise. I think it was Ty Law. He was seemingly on a different team every year after he left the Pats.