NFL
By: Greg Rector
The Dallas Cowboys defense should be one of the best units in the NFL as we head towards the training camp in Oxnard, California on July 24th. The defense will be led by Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence up front along with Leighton Vander Esche at linebacker and in the secondary Trevon Diggs will be counted on to be the security blanket he’s been against the league’s best receivers. This should be the starting group that takes the field for the 2023 NFL season for the Dallas Cowboys.
Starting Lineup: DE Micah Parsons, DT Osa Odighizuwa, DT Mazi Smith, DE DeMarcus Lawrence, LB Leighton Vander Esch, LB Damone Clark, CB Trevon Diggs, CB Stephon Gilmore, NB DaRon Bland, S Donovan Wilson, S Jayron Kearse
The Defensive Line
Can first-round pick Mazi Smith be the long-sought-after answer at defensive tackle? It appears the rookie is in tremendous shape and if he can get to the opposing quarterbacks up the middle that will make the Dallas Cowboys defense even tougher than last season’s group who amassed 54 sacks last season. The key man up front still is Micah Parsons who will be playing for his next contract and has increased his size to around 255lbs to be even stronger with more play coming up front for Micah Parsons. As long as Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence continue to lead the defensive front they will be a tough unit to deal with.
The other guys up front have to see improvement, especially against the run. Can we get more games with Dorance Armstrong being a menace as well off the edge? That would be really great to see. Johnathan Hankins returned as well to play alongside Osa Odigizuwa and Mazi Smith with whom Hnakins spent plenty of time during the OTAs. The defensive line is a definite strength for the Dallas Cowboys. As coach Quinn said after the mini-camp “If I was a young player, like Mazi [Smith] or Eric Scott, I would almost pay anything to have a guy like Johnathan Hankins and Steph Gilmore mentor me,” said Quinn. “For the players who are here, to take on that responsibility … I think it speaks volumes of the locker room and the culture that Mike [McCarthy] has created here.” What will second-year DE Sam Williams also deliver for the Dallas Cowboys as you can see the depth is in place.
The Linebackers
Since the Dallas Cowboys prefer to use a cornerback against opponents 11 personnel offenses the Dallas Cowboys will continue to use Leighton Vander Esche as their bell-weather linebacker. He should be joined by second-year player Damone Clark as the other of the two linebackers that Dan Quinn the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator prefers to use. How this year’s draft pick Demarvion Overshown appears is yet to be determined however if he is needed to be used he will be exciting to watch develop.
The Secondary
This is the group that benefited the most when the Dallas Cowboys traded away their 5th-round draft pick for corner Stephon Gilmore. The veteran outside corner gives the Dallas Cowboys that strong second option besides Trevon Diggs. The one thing I don’t want to see out of Diggs this season is a clean uniform as we saw on the grass against the San Francisco 49ers in the playoff loss. Keeping Donovan Wilson at safety was a huge deal as well along with Jayron Kearse and last year’s rookie corner Daron Bland who was a highlight reel as the inside corner. The other man in the unit is of course Malik Hooker who displayed his talents all last year. This means that Jourdan Lewis is in for a fight to get back his job at the NB position against Daron Bland.
The Seasonal Outlook
Adding Stephon Gilmore should strengthen the unit and be the reason the Dallas Cowboys defense can improve on their sixth place overall in defensive rankings for the 2023 NFL season. Seeing what Mazi Smith can bring will be the real key for the group, however. If as I said earlier Smith can bring a quarterback rush along with his run stopping ability he displayed for the Michigan Wolverines the Dallas Cowboys defense can be one of the best units in the NFL.
As always find me on Twitter @GregCowboys.
