Dorance Armstrong is entering his fifth year with the Cowboys after signing a two-year $12 million deal in March. Armstrong compiled a very solid campaign with career highs in tackles (37), sacks (5), and quarterback hits (12) while also adding a fumble recovery, a blocked punt, and a defensive touchdown against the Washington Commanders in Week 14. He recorded 36 pressures and 23 quarterback hurries in just 13 games last season (five starts).
Some people love them, and some don’t, but when you look at a few of the advance stats, Armstrong was second amongst Cowboys defenders in hurries and pressures last season, only behind I’m sure you can guess, Micah Parsons. We may get our answer very early whether or not he will be one of the most underrated players on the roster next season.
If we see Armstrong receive a full workload at the defensive end, his pass-rushing numbers could turn out very solid for a team who will need to fill at least a bit of production. With the loss of Randy Gregory, someone will need to step up and make an impact, and it very well could be Armstrong.
Armstrong looks to be the man who will lineup alongside DeMarcus Lawrence when next season gets here, but let’s not forget Dallas still has Dante Folwer Jr. and rookie Sam Williams. Both players will compete for reps in training camp, and maybe we will see a combination of these three in Dan Quinn’s defense.
We don’t know what Armstrong’s ceiling looks like just yet. He was a big-time role player last season. He did not see the field nearly as much as others did, we know that but it is hard to tell what he could do with a full workload.
After signing his deal this off-season, if Armstrong stays healthy, I think we could see a very productive year from him in his second year in Quinn’s system.
