THE COWBOYS D LINE PREVIEW 2017

Training camp in Oxnard is nearly here, and there is a lot to be excited about for our Dallas Cowboys! With all of the youth on this roster and new faces, there is sure to be a ton of competition going on. Our defense will have the most new faces and veterans trying to keep their spots. Dallas was ranked in the middle of the pack defensively overall last year at 14, and that is due to strengths in certain spots, and opportunity in others. I wanted to discuss our 2017 D-Line and who is on it, before heading to Cali.

There are some very intriguing names on the defensive line. It will be interesting to see what names will no longer be there in August. Coach Marinelli is looking for a boost in turnovers and sacks this year, he knows where he is going to get it, and that’s from his front four. The benefit Coach M has this year, is the amount of depth and talent he has at this spot, something he has not had since joining the Dallas staff. Sure, Randy Gregory is gone for the year and David Irving is serving a 4-game suspension. There may not be that big name guy, but these guys have shown they are hungry and ready. Let’s take a look at a few of these guys.

DAVID IRVING

We have recently found out David Irving will be serving a first 4 game suspension for the League PED violation. With that being said, I think he will still be one of the biggest contributors on defense. We had a glimpse of what he could be last year and hope he can get more snaps and involvement this season. He wreaked havoc on Aaron Rodgers last year in Green Bay and forced 3 fumbles! This ended up giving him defensive player of the week honors. He ended the season with only five sacks, but has a lot of upside going into this season. Not bad for a guy cut by Kansas City a couple years back and moving up from the practice squad. The question is, will he have himself ready to go after suspension?

2016 stats: 17 tackles - 4.0 sacks - 4 forced fumbles - 1 fumble recovery

My 2017 projections: 33 tackles - 6.5 sacks - 3 forced fumble - 1 safety

TYRONE CRAWFORD

Crawford is arguably the leader of this defensive line and has been a strong contributor the past few seasons. He has been very versatile for the coaching staff and it will be interesting to see what Rod does with him. There has been a lot of conversation to see if he will be put outside more this season and we will see if he can log another successful campaign. The last few seasons he has averaged around 30 tackles and 4 sacks, hopefully he can increase both of those numbers. 

2016 stats: 28 tackles - 4.5 sacks - 2 fumbles recovered 

My 2017 projections: 41 tackles - 6.0 sacks - 2 forced fumbles - 2 fumble recoveries 

DAMONTRE MOORE

He is my personal dark horse to not only be a contributor, but to lead the team in sacks! He is a player that has been around his first few seasons of his career in Seattle, New York and Miami. He has terrific speed off of the edge and has not got a ton of playing time, due to mostly being behind superstars on the edge. If you watch any tape on Moore you will see quickness, a strong first step and great hands. Not to mention it won’t hurt going up against pro bowl tackle Tyron Smith in camp. Let’s see if Damontre can make Dallas his home by making a name for himself in this league.

2016 stats: 7 tackles - 0.5 sacks 

My 2017 projections: 10.5 sacks - 31 tackles - 3 forced fumbles

Maliek Collins

Collin’s future is bright after a great rookie season and a lot of analyst and fans are pointing towards a breakout year. At the position he plays and the talent he has, he may be the most important player on Marinelli’s front line. With Warren Sapp type skills and build, Collins can get to the quarterback and cause complete disruption in the middle. Ending his rookie season with 5 sacks and playing at his position is quite impressive, but I see that number jumping a few. Aside from sacks, his most important piece will be causing disruption in the pocket and forcing pressure. We saw a good sample size last year and who knows? We may have a second year pro bowler here.  

2016 stats: 23 tackles - 5.0 sacks - 1 forced fumble - 1 fumble recovery

My 2017 projections: 34 tackles - 8.5 sacks - 2 forced fumbles

Taco Charlton

Or as Nate Newton refers to him “Mr. Charlton”, is a player the Cowboys are hoping to get a lot out of in year one. He shined in Harbaugh’s 4-3 system at Michigan and had a 10.0 sack, 40 tackles and very impressive, 13.5 tackles for loss in his senior season. This got him put on the All-Big ten Defensive first team and the Cowboys chose him over some big names left in the draft, including TJ Watt. At 6’6 & 277 he fits the bill in the 4-3 scheme and has been looking good early in OTA’s. He is raw in ways and was a convert to defensive end at Michigan, but has a ton of potential. Let’s see what he does with his rookie year. Hopefully he will be sporting the Star for many years to come. 

2016 stats: 40 tackles - 10.0 sacks 

My 2017 projections: 4.5 sacks - 26 tackles - 1 fumble recovery

Demarcus Lawrence

Is this Lawrence’s big year!? One would hope. After injury/suspension filled 2016 season, Lawrence has been vocal about his 2017 comeback after his successful back surgery. His 2015 season prior makes me buy in. He posted 55 tackles and 8.0 sacks in the 2015 campaign and had serious momentum going. Can he redeem himself and get back to his old form? He has a chip on his shoulder and is in the final year of his rookie contract. Let’s hope he balls out. 

There are a few names I didn’t dive into (Paea, Mayowa, Tapper, Thorton & more), but as you can see we have a strong amount of depth and talent on the line to get this defense up to the top in 2017. Getting after the quarterback and getting the turnovers are what we were missing last year. These guys can be the factors in changing that.

2016 stats: 8 tackles - 1.0 sacks - 1 forced fumble 

My 2017 projections: 48 tackles - 8.0 sacks - 3 forced fumbles 

Credit- Travis Jacobson

Twitter @travisjacobson0824

Tjacobson0824@yahoo.com