Dallas Cowboys expect to score points, so pass rush was focus with veteran free agents
The Dallas Cowboys had the league’s No. 1 ranked offense in 2019 with a 4,900-yard passer in Dak Prescott, a 1,300-yard rusher in Ezekiel Elliott and two 1000-yard receivers in Michael Gallup and Amari Cooper.
Yet, they still finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs.
The offense should be even more potent in 2020 with the addition of offensive-minded head coach Mike McCarthy and game-breaking first-round pick CeeDee Lamb at receiver.
For the Cowboys to truly take steps forward in hopes of not just making the playoffs but possibly realizing some Super Bowl hopes for the first time since 1995, fixing the defense and more specifically the pass rush was paramount to help legitimize any dreams of real success — especially with 2019 leading sacker Robert Quinn taking his 11.5 sacks to Chicago in free agency.
So credit vice president Stephen Jones and director of scouting Will McClay for going about the business of cost-effectively remaking the defensive line with four free-agent additions in defensive ends Everson Griffen and Aldon Smith and tackles Dontari Poe and Gerald McCoy.
The Cowboys now head into the season with their deepest, most experienced and most talented front in years by adding the foursome to two-time Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, nose tackle Antwaun Woods, versatile defensive end/tackle Tyrone Crawford and defensive end Dorance Armstrong.
And there is still a chance they could get suspended defensive end Randy Gregory back before the start of the season.
“We all understand the priority of what pass-rushers bring to your football team,” McCarthy said. “We want to be explosive on offense, put points on the board, and then we really, really want to put our pass-rushers in position to pin their ears back. That is part of the way we look to attack this season. You can never have enough good pass-rushers.”
As Jones likes to say, talent acquisition is a 365-day job. So what started with Poe, McCoy and Smith in March culminated with the biggest prize last Thursday, roughly a week into training camp with the signing of Griffen to a one-year, $6 million deal.
He won’t be available until early this week after going through COVID-19 testing.
Griffen had 74 career sacks in 10 years with the Minnesota Vikings, including eight sacks last season when he made the Pro Bowl for the fourth time.
McCarthy, who is familiar with Griffen’s work from McCarthy’s days as coach of the Green Bay Packers, is excited to add him to the mix.
“I can’t say enough about Everson Griffen,” McCarthy said. “Just the fact of being able to compete against him twice a year, he was always the primary focus for us offensively, going up against him. He’s a relentless player. He brings it every down. Has great passion for the game. I have an opportunity to visit with him and he’s extremely excited. He’s a big personality so I think he’s going to be a great fit for our football team.”
Consider that following the loss of Quinn in free agency, the remaining members of the Cowboys defensive line had eight sacks last season, including five by Lawrence, one by Crawford and two by Armstrong.
In addition to Griffen’s eight sacks, McCoy and Poe had five and four respectively with the Carolina Panthers in 2019.
And then there is Smith, who is returning to the NFL after being suspended since 2015. He has 47.5 sacks in 59 games over five seasons, including 42 in his first three years before suspensions limited his availability in 2014 and 2015.
Lawrence is personally motivated to rebound from a down season largely due to injuries. He had double-digit sacks in 2017 and 2018, earning a five-year, 105 million contract extension.
Lawrence was already excited by the presence of Smith and now is even more ecstatic with the addition of Griffen to help him out.
“I’m really applauding the front office on what they’re doing to bring veteran pass rushers to the Dallas Cowboys,” Lawrence said. “One thing I respect about it is it’s only going to make me better and make me want to be the best. Being around great pass-rushers that you know have to keep that energy and focus in order to strive for greatness.
“We want to win,” Lawrence added when asked what message the front office was sending. “That’s the goal. We want to win a championship. That’s why we’re here. To have veteran guys on the defensive side of the ball who have played in big games and been a part of winning cultures, man, it’s awesome to have as many vets here who are ready to win a championship.”
Griffen and McCoy are 32, Smith is 30 and Poe turns 30 next week. It’s seems to be a change in philosophy for the Cowboys from past years when they stressed youth under former coach Jason Garrett.
The retired Michel Bennett (33) was the only defensive lineman age 30 or older on last year’s team. Linebacker Sean Lee, now 33, departed tight end Jason Witten, 37, were the only position players over 30.
McCarthy has a different approach.
“You look at a 32-year-old NFL player today and it’s definitely different than it probably was 15-20 years ago,” McCarthy said. “I think we all recognize that. Also, the evaluation is definitely different. There is so much more data available to do thorough evaluations, obviously just with the aspect of TV games and just the technology that has increased in the breakdown. You just trust your evaluation process, and I think 32 isn’t as big of a concern as it may have been a decade or so ago.”
