2017 Will be the year for this Defense

            Training camp will be starting soon, and I can’t wait. Anything to get Kirk’s Cousin’s contract situation out of the headline news. I will take projections on fringe roster making, 7^th round picks. I would rather hear about the quarterback competition in San Francisco then to continue to watch and hear about how the Redskins have messed up again.

            Let me move on. Training camp for the Dallas Cowboys will being July 24^th, and my interest in this team will only intensify. Last season was a coming out party, of sorts for some of the young talented players on this Dallas Cowboys roster. This year should be another coming out party for most of the players drafted in April. With expectations shy high for the Cowboys this year it would be great to see the defense come together before our eyes.

            The Cowboys had a mediocre defense in 2016. They were top 5 in scoring defense but were middle of the road in every other statistical category. Many people have their concerns about this defense after losing four key pieces in free agency. If we’re being honest with ourselves the Cowboys didn’t lose Deion Sanders, Darren Woodson, Rod Woodson and Ed Reed! Point is let’s not pretend that Morris Claiborne, JJ Wilcox, Barry Church, and Brandon Carr are irreplaceable. This new class of rookies doesn’t have to fill the giant shoes left by hall of famers. They just have to be better than the JAGs (Just A Guy) before them. I know Barry Church was a solid safety but you can upgrade from him. Claiborne showed that he could become a solid corner on the outside and then he got hurt, they story of his career. I watched Brandon Carr get cooked by Jeremey Kerley! C’mon fans let’s not worry to much. This defense has the chance to be as good or better this season despite the departures.

            Taco Charlton might not be the next JJ Watt, but they may not need him to be. The Cowboys need some consistency on that defensive line. I remember a player the Cowboys use to have by the name of Greg Ellis. Ellis wasn’t a great player but he was a consistent player. He would give the Cowboys 6-10 sacks a season. He was solid against the run and he made big plays at times when they needed him to. I can see the same type of career for Taco Charlton. He doesn’t come off as a great player but he does appear to be a good to very good player.

            Replacing Brandon Carr’s durability will be hard. He played every game for the Cowboys the entire 5 years he was here. I’m hard on Carr because he wasn’t the shut down defender that all Cowboys fans thought he was. He never really played on a good defense for the Cowboys either. Carr had is ups and downs, but he was out there and competing every Sunday. I think Anthony Brown can be as good if not better than Brandon Carr. He may not have the durability, but he seems to have better foot speed, change of direction, and ball skills than Carr. I see Anthony Brown being the Cowboys best corner back this season.

            Replacing JJ Wilcox should be easy. It looks like either Chidobe Awuize or Jordan Lewis will compete for that 3^rd safety or slot corner back in dime and nickel formations. Jeff Heath is the leading candidate for the starting strong safety role, formally held by Barry Church. Heath replacing Church is probably the biggest concern on this defense. Church was an instinctive safety and he played great in the box. Sean Lee and Church gave quarterback fits throwing over the middle of the field. Heath should be able to do all of the things that Church did for this defense and he may bring more of a play maker element. Heath did pick Aaron Rodgers off in the playoffs!

            Throw in the depth of Nolan Carroll, Xavier Woods, and Kavon Frazier and the Cowboys have some good talent in the secondary. They’re young but youth doesn’t equate to bad, just inexperienced. The youth can be a good thing because these young players will be hungry and motivated to make a name for themselves. More importantly they have no pressure because the guys they’re replacing weren’t world beaters. All this group of young men has to do is go out and be the best players they can be. It might be a stretch but I expect the Cowboys to have a top 10 defense. Yeah I said it! I know only 5-10 people read these blogs but I’ve typed it and if I need to reference this blog I will. Also if the Cowboy can put together a top 10 defense they will win the super bowl. They may win the super bowl either way, but with a top 10 defense nothing could stop this team!