If you're reading this expecting me to bash the Cowboys defense stop reading now! The Cowboys have a struggling defense but that shouldn't be a surprise to anybody. The only way to build a championship team in today's NFL is to hit on some draft picks. The Cowboys have invested a ton of money on the offensive side of the ball. They still have to pay Zach Martin this season. Also consider that they will have to pay Zeke and Dak at some point very soon. The only way to improve this defensive unit is via the draft. Look on the bright side, the Cowboys could be paying $200 million to defensive players and be sitting at 0-4 like the Giants.
Staying with the money aspect for just a second. Demarcus Lawrence (DLaw) and David Irving are up for contracts after this season. Lawrence was leading the league in sacks coming into week 4. Chances are they will only keep one of them. Byron Jones, arguably the Cowboys best player, is in year three of his rookie deal and they Cowboys will need to make a decision on his fifth year option after next season. Let’s say they find ways to keep Lawrence and Jones. That will mean that they lose Irving, probably have to get rid of Sean Lee and Orlando Scandrick. It also means that guys like Malik Collins, Taco Charlton, Jaylon Smith, and Anthony Brown will have to be important pieces to this defense. I'm not even going to focus on the other 2017 rookies because we're going to need more time to evaluate them. Point is, unless the Cowboys get some major production from their rookie defensive players this unit will struggle for the foreseeable future.
With that out the way, the defense doesn't have 3 all pro offensive linemen or a pro bowl QB, RB, WR, and a Hall of Fame tight end. Yes, this defense is struggling but it's young and they're going through some growing pains. There are some changes that must be made in order to help this unit improve.
First change is to get Jeff Heath out the starting line up. Heath is either always too deep, or too shallow to make plays on the. Either the receiver is making the play in front of him or the ball is being thrown over his head. As a safety, the last line of defense, you have to at least deflect some passes. These young corners need Heath to pick up the slack when they're making mistakes. In four games I haven't seen Heath do anything but miss tackles. Byron Jones is stepping up and doing whatever the defense needs him to do. He is covering slot receivers, tight ends and picking up running backs out the back field. Hell Jourdan Lewis is a more reliable tackler at this point than Heath. Let Heath be the third safety in the big nickel package (three safeties). I would like to give Xavier Woods or Chidobe Awuzie a shot at starting safety (When he returns).
The next move is to put Tyrone Crawford back inside at defensive tackle. With David Irving coming back next week, Crawford will probably be put back inside anyways. Crawford just isn't making enough plays on the outside. He is holding up against the run but he isn't enough of a disruptive force to keep him outside. Irving will need a few games to get his feet under him but he will be better on the edge that Crawford. Crawford can then use his athleticism inside to help Collins push the pocket from the middle. The pass rush is key to Marinelli’s defense.
Where are the speed rushers for this defense? I'm talking about Charles Tapper and Demontra Moore. Both of these will get up field and force the QB to climb the pocket. They can also pick up running backs out the backfield. Marinelli is going to have to make adjustments to the scheme in order to take away the short passing game. Dropping guys like Tapper and Moore into the flats will give the Cowboys two guys that can contain the short passing game at the line of scrimmage.
This defense isn't going to improve overnight. There are a few schematic adjustments that can be deployed to help this unit. I'm not going to pile on the rookies because we still don't know how good they are. Rookies will make mistakes but you want to see them compete. I want to see Jourdan Lewis come up and make an excellent tackle for loss against Todd Gurley. Even if he gets beat he is showing that he is learning as he goes.
Jaylen Smith is coming along. He still doesn’t look 100% but he is a really good linebacker and with more experience I think we will start to see him flash more. Malik Collins is the perfect compliment to DLaw because he is a force in the middle. When DLaw is able to get up field and force the quarterback up, Collins is usually there for the clean up. Byron Jones isn’t getting the interceptions, but he is clearly the Cowboys best cover defensive back. He has shown the ability to play great in tight press coverage and in zone. Jones can bone up against tight ends and slot wide receivers.
The last point I want to make is that the Cowboys defense has to begin establishing some continuity. David Irving is coming back and it’s time to gel this secondary together. I recommend replacing Heath in the starting line up with Xavier Woods and taking the lumps with Woods. I also recommend starting Lewis on the outside opposite Anthony Brown. When Awuize returns play him more in the robber role as a safety or slot corner. Heath as to go as a starter. He is still valuable on special teams but he isn’t getting the job done as the full time starter.
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