Let's talk about the linebacking corp

[advent11]

Trust in Overshown. Dude looked like an all pro for the brief time we saw him.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

They need to sign a veteran like Queen and draft Cooper from A&M and come up with another one from free agency or the draft.

Yup, we need them to sign the best and most physical one available, and we need the best linebacker that they can draft. We need the defence to be more physical, and LB plays a big role in that.

 

[EenonyMoose]

You have to assume they're going to target guys like Josey Jewell and maybe even Bobby Wagner in free agency.

 

[America's Cowboy]

Jeremiah Trotter, Jr and Texas A&M's Cooper are both going to be gone by the time the Cowboys draft late in the 1st round.



I would take the ACC leading tackler in NC State's Payton Wilson and not look back. Payton Wilson teamed up with DeMarvion Overshown as our LBs would make them the most athletic, aggressive and young LBs in the league who can play against both the run and pass.

 

[kskboys]

We have one?

 

[big dog cowboy]

We have one?

No 2. Explained in OP.

 

[Chasing6]

Dallas had a plan - LVE and Overshown. Both got hurt. They thought Cox would recover. They saw he didn't and moved on. They thought Harper would develop. He didn't and they moved on. They thought Clark would ascend, he hasn't. And thru all that, they are still a decent Run D at times. It turns out they didn't have the depth they thought when they ran their off-season.

So looking ahead. LVE is unlikely to come back. Overshown will be a full year away from his ACL by the time the season starts. Will he be completely healthy and how much can he really be counted on? Clark? He can be counted on as a backup but I'm not sure any of us want him starting. Bell needs moved back to safety.

By my count that leaves us with no starters and one backup and one big ? in Overshown. Needless to say multiple additions are needed. At least 3. I'm ok with one draft pick but not sure I want to count on two. That means we need to add a couple of vets. I liked the idea I read yesterday about Devin White as a possible FA addition. That is a good start but still need help.

Who knows what will happen at DC. If Quinn leaves, the new DC will have his own ideas about how what kind of defense he wants to run. If Quinn stays, will he (and Jerry) realize the cost in his lack of valuing the LB position this year? Especially before the end of the trading season? So may questions that need answered before FA and the draft. I'm not sure what it will look like in May. But right now, the LB corp is a total cluster. And teams will be gearing up to run against us again next year.

I don't believe is was Quinn's plan to be light(no pun intended) at LB, but they left themselves with a small margin of error relying on a LVE, who gets hurt all the time. Similar to what we did on the OLine.(Martin caught us with our pants down).

Hope is not a strategy and it seems like we are way to often hoping that a position group some how works out.

This is not how legit SB contending teams run their business.

 

[Bobhaze]

Dallas had a plan - LVE and Overshown. Both got hurt. They thought Cox would recover. They saw he didn't and moved on. They thought Harper would develop. He didn't and they moved on. They thought Clark would ascend, he hasn't. And thru all that, they are still a decent Run D at times. It turns out they didn't have the depth they thought when they ran their off-season.

So looking ahead. LVE is unlikely to come back. Overshown will be a full year away from his ACL by the time the season starts. Will he be completely healthy and how much can he really be counted on? Clark? He can be counted on as a backup but I'm not sure any of us want him starting. Bell needs moved back to safety.

By my count that leaves us with no starters and one backup and one big ? in Overshown. Needless to say multiple additions are needed. At least 3. I'm ok with one draft pick but not sure I want to count on two. That means we need to add a couple of vets. I liked the idea I read yesterday about Devin White as a possible FA addition. That is a good start but still need help.

Who knows what will happen at DC. If Quinn leaves, the new DC will have his own ideas about how what kind of defense he wants to run. If Quinn stays, will he (and Jerry) realize the cost in his lack of valuing the LB position this year? Especially before the end of the trading season? So may questions that need answered before FA and the draft. I'm not sure what it will look like in May. But right now, the LB corp is a total cluster. And teams will be gearing up to run against us again next year.

Great post from the Dog! LB is probably the biggest of many holes this team must address this off-season. There are some excellent young backers in this draft.

On a side note, regarding Quinn back here or not: I was thinking today if Quinn ends up in Sea, getting a top notch DC may be a little dicey for 2024 with Big Mac clearly on the hot seat and no contract beyond next year. Who wants to jump at a situation like that? Will be interesting.

 

[Chasing6]

Great post from the Dog! LB is probably the biggest of many holes this team must address this off-season. There are some excellent young backers in this draft.

On a side note, regarding Quinn back here or not: I was thinking today if Quinn ends up in Sea, getting a top notch DC may be a little dicey for 2024 with Big Mac clearly on the hot seat and no contract beyond next year. Who wants to jump at a situation like that? Will be interesting.

It would either be an existing assistant or a potentially new Head Coach with Defensive experience. Maybe Vrabel???

I think Bellichick is too old. Cowboys are too noisy for him and Jeruh would drive him made.

 

[CCBoy]

bam...crack....owie....oooooooh! ERT !

 

[vlad]

Imho a light 3rd rib LB is not a plan, it’s a hope and a prayer that Jerry can look cool, but no championship caliber team is counting in that or he would have been our first round pick. Even the first round linebackers can be anything from Micah to Bobby Carpenter.

LVE getting hurts sucks, but spine issues are to be expected. we could have had Roquan at a bargain, but he‘s prob not a Quinn type. guessing he only played LVE cuz jerry drafted him.

 

[CCBoy]

Clark led the team in total tackles and improved this season.

Overshown and bell run it back. Maybe we draft a guy in the later rounds for depth.

Bell needs weight or stay safety.

 

[CCBoy]

This is the main reason i want Quinn gone
I was listening to a GM on the radio and they said that in the 53 the question was how many LBs do we keep? 4 or 5
The idiot Cowboys kept 2, Clark and LVE. Overshown got injured early and they knew Cox was garbage.

You couple this with having only 1, 1T DT (Broaddus said they asked Mazi to lose weight and play 3T) and playing a LB at DE and you have a recipe for disaster

Then we have safeties who cant cover the deep because “safeties have to be interchangeable with LBs” (LOL)

We need 3 new LBs in addition to Clark and Overshown
We need 1 more high end 1T DT
We need real DE playing DE not Parsons
Parsons buy in to play LB
We need 1 more deep safety in addition to Hooker

A real aggressive DC

They'll probably sign a LB who's prime job will be special teams...also.

 

[BBGTYCOON]

LVE should have been gone a year after Jaylon was gone but Stephen's cheap arse wanted him back on the cheap. LVE best season was his rookie year, he's been average ever since. This front office has no serious plan to get the team better, they patch holes whenever they can instead of building a solid foundation. Micah playing defensive lineman when he should be a 3-down LB makes little sense. In the off-season linebacker and interior lineman should be priority 1 and 2.

 

[raven55]

as far as a good draft and free agency if your expecting the jones on doing something right like a good GM dream on because it's not happening

 

[CCBoy]

as far as a good draft and free agency if your expecting the jones on doing something right like a good GM dream on because it's not happening

He delegates responsibilities around the draft and has done so for quite a while.

 

[Hawkeye19]

I have zero confidence in this FO to do what is needed to be done.

 

[Aven8]

Marquese Bell weighs about 210. He looks like a JV kid vs the varsity. He’s pretty much a safety sized guy trying to take on 300 lb guards. It’s no secret why teams with a running game salivate when they see the box we present to them.

I do however think Bell played really well considering he was underweight and out of position. I got to give it to him

 

[DasTex]

Having Parsons as a uber agressive DE, along with safeties playing LB is a recipe for not being able to stop the run game.
Parsons needs to be moved around more, especially on early run downs.

 

[NDGAEDE]

Completely right. We need three new LBs. Two starters and a depth guy. You hope that Overshown can recover but can't bet on it. You know what you have in Clark. A fringe starter, depth guy.

This position is in dire straits and needs several new player thru free agency and the draft.