There is no argument. The defensive side of the ball was the best unit for the Dallas Cowboys in 2022. Retaining Dan Quinn was the best thing that could have happened for this unit and for the team overall.
That being said, there are some holes that will need to be filled. Starting with the middle of the defensive line, which got exposed as the season drew to a close. Fix this weak spot and we could be talking Doomsday Defense II.
THE DEFENSIVE TACKLES
The Cowboys defense struggled in the second half of the season in stopping the run. This problem was magnified when linebacker Leighton Vander Esch missed games at the end of the year.
Dallas will likely let Johnathan Hankins go in free agency, unless they can get him back on a very team-friendly contract. At least this is what I think they are thinking, and I was right about Tony Pollard getting the franchise tag.
But this is the Jones gang we’re talking about, so who really knows, right? But let us assume Hankins does not come back. This would leave the team with three tackles: Quinton Bohanna, Neville Gallimore, and Osa Odighizuwa.
Gallimore would then become the elder statesman of the defensive tackle group as he enters his fourth year. Both Bohanna and Odighizuwa will each be playing their third NFL seasons in 2023. So the potential is there for improvement.
There is also the potential for continued growing pains if not regression. That being the case, going into the year with three tackles may not be a great idea.
What the Cowboys need is a monster in the middle who commands the attention of the opposing center and possibly both guards. Think the second coming of Bob Lilly or Randy White. Haloti Ngata or Warren Sapp for you younger kids.
Whoever it turns out to be they need to find him and get him on the line. This would free up the strength of the defensive line to wreak havoc: The outside pass-rushing ends.
THE DEFENSIVE ENDS
Both Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence are signed for the next two seasons so neither are going anywhere. Which is great news for Dallas as both terrorize opposing quarterbacks. Especially when the running game has been contained.
But they need backups who can get the job done when they take a blow on the sideline. Assuming his legal issues don’t become a major situation, Sam Williams showed flashes of being a serviceable backup. Chauncey Golston also looked good at times.
Dallas has two players at defensive end that are free agents – Dante Fowler Jr. and Carlos Watkins. Fowler is a year younger and has history with Quinn. Don’t be surprised to see Fowler back but not Watkins.
Watkins was cut from the team last year and re-signed after fifth-round draft pick Matt Waletzko was placed on injured reserve. If the Cowboys need to make cuts, Watkins might be an early casualty.
THE SOLUTION
Honestly, there isn’t much to fix, aside from shoring up the interior against the run. How Dallas goes about it remains to be seen.
While I don’t have an office at The Star, if the task is to sign a defensive tackle I do have a humble suggestion. Zach Allen, a free agent this year who played next to J.J. Watt for the Arizona Cardinals.
He had to have absorbed a lot from playing next to a future Hall of Famer. That experience could be very valuable on the Cowboys defensive line in 2023.
I make this move in a heartbeat, but I’m not the general manager at The Star. It remains to be seen if the Cowboys front office will. Assuming they are even looking at free agency for an interior defensive lineman at all.