Heading into training camp there's no position on the Dallas Cowboys that features as much depth as the Cowboys defensive line. The offensive line is close, but the talent that the defensive line can roll out there is impressive. They have six players that have recorded a five sack season and players like Dorance Armstrong and Antwaun Woods who are coming into their own.
It's a position that is going to be very difficult for one of the under the radar players to work their way up the depth chart, but rookie Daniel Wise out of Kansas is doing his best in the first few days of practice. He's been mentioned by several observers as a stand out from the Dallas Cowboys first padded practice.
“I continue to see good things from Daniel Wise. Not only does this guy beat blockers in the run game, but he affects the quarterback as well in the pocket. He's been able to carry things over from the OTAs and minicamp to here in Oxnard. But I will say that I am still waiting for the coaches to give him more of an opportunity to work against blockers that might be better than him. He fights really well in his weight class, so maybe that will happen sooner rather than later. His quickness and his explosiveness have been impressive since arriving from Kansas.”
Bryan Broaddus – DallasCowboys.com
“Daniel Wise two or three different times made really nice plays. Is showing up clearly as a guy that is playing at a level higher (than his competition). He's like the third or fourth defensive tackle and even though the offensive line is deep, he's playing against guys that he's overmatching. If he can keep that up he may be ready (for a step up in competition).”
Landon McCool – Locked on Cowboys Podcast
The Dallas Cowboys were able to sign Daniel Wise as an undrafted free agent after the 2019 NFL Draft. It was a bit surprising that he went undrafted because most draft analysts had him somewhere in the fourth or fifth round range. So the Cowboys being able to get Wise, who is a bit undersized for a defensive tackle, without having to spend draft capital was a huge coup.
He has quick penetrating ability and could be an excellent fit for the Cowboys at the 3-technique in Rod Marinelli's scheme where he's asking the 3-tech defensive tackles to get upfield and disrupt the run or put pressure on the quarterback.
Over his final two seasons at Kansas, Wise averaged fives sacks and 14 tackles for loss for the Jayhawks.
Daniel Wise is going to have an uphill battle to make a roster that likely has Maliek Collins, Antwaun Woods, Christian Covington, Trysten Hill, and Tyrone Crawford slated as the team's primary defensive tackles. He'll need to continue having solid practices as he has thus far, in order to force the Dallas Cowboys decision-makers to find a spot for him. Knowing what we know about Wise thus far, he'll continue to do just that.
