It’s football season, boys and girls.
For Dallas fans, Sunday night is right around the corner. The Dallas Cowboys travel to a familiar place to get the season started versus the division rivals, New York Giants.
While it’s hard to admit, the G-men have a talented group of familiar faces (Saquon Barkley, Leonard Williams, and Kayvon Thibodeaux) mixed in with some talented veteran additions, making this contest one to stay up for.
One of those veterans, Darren Waller, will be a pivotal offensive piece for Quarterback Daniel Jones and Head Coach Brian Daboll.
Waller’s story is well-known. The Baltimore Ravens drafted him in the 6th round of the 2015 NFL draft but blossomed in Oakland/Las Vegas.
Now, he’s representing the tight-end room in the Meadowlands.
Here is where it gets interesting. Dallas’ defense fared well against tight ends during the 2022 regular season. You could also make the argument none of those tight ends was in the stratosphere of a healthy Waller.
Darren may have been a problem for most teams, but in Dallas, Dan Quinn may already possess the solution.
COuld Dan Quinn deploy Israel Mukuamu for this challenge?
To be fair, the Cowboys use multiple defensive packages, so relying solely on one person to limit the effectiveness of an offensive player isn’t realistic.
My initial inclination was to select Jayron Kearse, who has previously played in this position against some of the best in their class. Donovon Wilson assumes some of these duties as well, but availability may factor in.
Israel Mukuamu may get the first crack at providing coverage against Darren Waller, and here’s why he should.
Waller was just a short time ago in the conversation with Travis Kelce and George Kittle as the best tight ends in the league. Mark Andrews may have something to say about that as well.
Nevertheless, Darren Waller has a basketball player’s frame with wide receiver skills who has since transformed himself a formidable weapon due to his exceptional movement abilities, coordination, and hands.
Despite being injured in recent years, he remains a nightmare matchup.
I’m picking Izzy for two reasons: his physical profile and his ability to play in coverage. To be frank, Mukuamu could potentially be a nightmare matchup for offenses.
The Legion of Boom in Seattle is gone. There are not many 6’4″ cornerbacks who can also slide into a safety role walking around the NFL. That number becomes even smaller when you factor in the legitimate top end speed.
One of his better games was against the Washington Commanders in week four last season.
He mainly covered running backs in the game but also had snaps against Logan Thomas, who is similar in physical attributes to Waller. It gave us a glimpse of Izzy playing someone of this size.
You know I love my Pro Football Focus stats
In that game, his tackling grade was 81.5, with 28 total snaps. His passer rating allowed was a 74.3 which for a defender is above average.
The most critical statistic against players physical at the point of attack is the missed tackles. He had a big goose egg in that category.
All the analytics are great – but how does it apply to stopping Darren Waller? I can answer that for you by saying it doesn’t, but it could slow him down.
Waller loves a good seam route mixed in with crossing routes. Not to mention, the Giants love to motion their tight ends to block and sometimes it’s a disguise to get a full head of steam for their routes.
You need a top athlete with coverage skills and size to run with this guy. A couple of years ago I watched Trevon Diggs shut down Kyle Pitts in Atlanta. Clearly Trevon has the coverage ability minus the size.
Dan Quinn will likely mix it up with some linebacker coverage and a combination of the other safeties.
However, if neutralizing Darren Waller is the plan, I believe Izzy has what it takes.
