Is disappointing DT Trysten Hill earning praise, grace from Dallas Cowboys in Year 2?
It goes without saying that defensive tackle Trysten Hill was a disappointment as a rookie last season in every way imaginable.
He was picked in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, despite not starting as a senior at Central Florida and not being given a favorable recommendation by the coaches there, largely because former defensive line coach/defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli saw great potential in him as a disruptive pass rusher.
The Cowboys bypassed needs at safety and players that could have had immediate impacts for Hill, who rewarded them with immaturity and no production.
Hill played in only seven games. He was a healthy scratch nine times. He recorded just five tackles and embarrassed the organization by being called out for falling asleep in a meeting in front of NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas.
With Marinelli gone with the fired Jason Garrett, Hill was already coming into the 2020 without a safety net.
New head coach Mike McMcCarthy, defensive coordinator Mike Nolan and defensive line coach Jim Tomsula had nothing invested in him.
So the underlying theme for him was shape up or ship out.
Hill says he looks at it as a fresh start, and he worked hard in the offseason to watch his nutrition and take care of his body, which was made tougher by the shutdown of the team facilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He succeeded by coming into camp in shape.
Last season’s disappointment robbed Hill of any benefit of the doubt. He will be under the spotlight until he produces on the field in games.
But he has opened a few eyes so far in training camp with his attitude, professionalism and play.
“Trysten Hill has been doing some really good things,” Tomsula said. “Just been tickled to death with Trysten and how hard he’s working, mentally and physically, how hard he’s working in the meeting room, the questions, the phone calls, the texts, him swinging back by the office at night. Asking a question, wanting to look at a clip of tape. Shoot, when you see him walking around the hallways right now, his head is buried in his iPad and he’s watching reps of film. So really excited for that guy and the way he’s approaching it and the way he’s going after it. He’s getting better every day. So there’s that.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has certainly taken notice of Hill’s maturity and growth so far in training camp. He is already off to a better start to camp than a year ago. And Jones is not ready to give up on him.
“I had heard (Hall of Fame Cowboys coach) Tom Landry say ‘don’t ever, ever make a crisp, hard decision, especially on a defensive lineman, until three years from the time they leave college. You might get surprised’,” Jones said. “You might go where you should have not gone in a decision. So, Hill last year, we would have liked for him to have had more snaps, but I want to note him (and his improvement) out there.”
It’s important for Hill to shape up, step up and improve because the Cowboys need him in 2020 due to the loss of free agent defensive tackle Gerald McCoy to a ruptured right quad.
He has stepped in with the starters in McCoy’s absence so far in practice and he will be a big part of how they fill the void. Look for veteran Tyrone Crawford and rookie third-round pick Neville Gallimore to all log snaps as the pass rushing 3-tech tackle in the 4-3 scheme.
“Tough loss losing Gerald McCoy,” Hill said. “I was excited to learn from him. At this point, I am just focused on taking advantage of this opportunity.”
He needs to, for his sake and the Cowboys’ sake.
