When it comes to the Dallas Cowboys’ veteran linebackers, less means more | Opinion
The charade is over.
The pretense is dead.
No, I’m not talking about Tim Tebow’s football career with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
I’m talking about the hype surrounding Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith with the Dallas Cowboys.
Don’t misconstrue.
Both will be members of the Cowboys defense in 2021, as they should.
But it appears both will have diminished roles in the team’s revamped defense under new coordinator Dan Quinn.
When the Cowboys first team defense went on the field for the second preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, Vander Esch and Smith were on the sidelines while rookie top pick Micah Parsons and free-agent signee Keanu Neal were out there at linebacker with the starters.
Coach Mike McCarthy explained that it was because the team opened with nickel defense because of how Arizona lined up.
Guess what when Cowboys returned to practice this week, Neal and Parsons were on the field primarily with the first team.
Yes, the Cowboys spend the majority of time in practice working their nickel defense.
And considering most teams, including the Cowboys run the majority of their plays with three wide receivers on the field, the nickel defense is the new base defense.
Last year, the Cowboys were in the nickel 71 percent of the time, according to footballoutsiders.com. That usually means five defensive backs and two linebackers.
What that looks like for the Cowboys is Parsons and Neal on the field and Vander Esch and Smith on sidelines most of the time.
Now, when opposing offenses are in obvious run downs, you will likely see to two veteran thumpers on the field with Parsons. The same is true on goal line and short yardage.
There are other packages where Parsons will be used as an edge rusher, putting Smith or Vander Esch back out there.
But make no mistake about it, the Cowboys efforts to improve from last year’s horrendous unit which gave up the most points and the second-most yards in franchise history includes diminishing the roles of Smith and Vander Esch.
Never mind that Smith has led team in tackles the past two seasons and is the ninth highest-paid linebacker in the NFL at $7.2 million in 2021.
Never mind that Vander Esch was a first-round pick in 2018 and made the Pro bowl as a rookie while recording a team-rookie record 176 tackles.
Their play has fallen off in recent years along with that of the Cowboys defense.
There are no more pet cows for owner Jerry Jones to coddle.
The urgency is real in Dallas and the players best suited to help the team win will play.
Finally.
So far, that looks like Neal and Parsons at linebacker.
The latter was expected, considering the Cowboys picked him 12th overall to be difference making impact player on defense. And he has been better than imagined as well as betting favorite to win NFL defensive rookie of the year.
Quinn has designed all kinds packages to take advantage of his skill set.
Neal, a former first-round pick as a safety with the Atlanta Falcons where Quinn was the head coach, is a natural fit as a converted linebacker in the nickel package.
He is fast, physical and can cover like a safety.
In 19 snaps in the preseason, Neal has a Pro Football Focus grade of 97.9. Both he and Parsons have recorded turnovers in each of the first two preseason games.
Creating turnovers was a problem last season, and the work of Neal and Parsons has not gone unnoticed.
Now this doesn’t mean there won’t be roles for Vander Esch and Smith.
Quite honestly, it means that the Cowboys are as deep and as talented at linebacker as they have been in years. It’s a good problem to have.
People need to stop the nonsense of wanting to cut or trade Smith due to his salary.
It’s already guaranteed for 2022. When the Cowboys made that decision in March, they were targeting a cornerback at the top of the draft and had no idea there signing Neal.
Considering it’s going to be a long season and the possible injury factor, depth is important.
Keep what’s strong strong.
The idea of saying that about a Cowboys defense that has been the weak link of the team even before last season’s horrendous effort is a sign of progress.
Just like less of Vander Esch and Smith could mean more good players on defense in 2021.
