When it comes to the Dallas Cowboys 2020 offseason signings, Aldon Smith could be the player new Defensive Coordinator Mike Nolan could be the most excited about. Smith’s ability to be deployed in a variety of different ways could make him the ultimate chess piece in Nolan’s expected hybrid defensive scheme.
Although Mike Nolan plans on sticking to the 4-3 defensive principles in his first year as the Dallas Cowboys DC, all signs point to him mixing in some 3-4 elements as well. This kind of hybrid defense should help keep opposing offenses on their toes by varying personnel and scheme, which is a huge contrast to what they faced under the predictable and vanilla scheme of Rod Marinelli.
For scheme diverse players like Aldon Smith, Mike Nolan’s hybrid defense provides the opportunity to showcase their versatility and skill set. After his five-year hiatus from the NFL, Smith probably couldn’t landed in a better situation than he has with the Dallas Cowboys right now. Nolan’s defense provides a perfect opportunity for him to resurrect his NFL career.
Through the early parts of training camp we’ve already seen Mike Nolan get creative with the way he chooses to deploy Aldon Smith. Not only is he playing with his hand in the dirt as a traditional 4-3 defensive end, but he’s also playing as a standup 3-4 outside linebacker. That’s not surprising considering that’s what he was brought here to do, but it’s also not the only way he’s being utilized.
According to reports coming out of training camp practices, Aldon Smith has also been seen playing inside as a defensive tackle. At 6’4″, 265, Smith doesn’t fit the traditional DT mold in the NFL, so I wouldn’t expect this anything more than just a situational kind of move. This is probably an effort to get the best of the Cowboys pass rushers on the field at the same time.
The grouping of DeMarcus Lawrence and Everson Griffen at DE with Aldon Smith and probably Tyrone Crawford at DT would give the Cowboys defensive front a scary combination of athletic pass rushers. I don’t know if that’s what Mike Nolan has in mind, but it’s definitely an idea he’s toying with right now in training camp.
Surprisingly enough, I don’t think that’s the only ways we might see Aldon Smith utilized in 2020. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we see him play a little SAM linebacker as well. He possesses the athleticism to play out in space and could be a sneaky pass rusher from the position as well. To my knowledge hasn’t played the position yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised all if it’s something we see in the future.
All in all, I fully expect Mike Nolan to use Aldon Smith as a versatile defensive chess piece throughout the 2020 season. It doesn’t matter if it’s as a traditional 4-3 DE, a 3-4 OLB, a situational DT, or as a SAM LB Smith’s ability to play any and all positions make him a perfect versatile weapon to be deployed at will.
