Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence lead the way at the edge rusher group for the Dallas Cowboys.
Once upon a time it was impossible for the Dallas Cowboys to sack an opposing quarterback. 10 years ago come January the Cowboys watched helplessly as then-Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers dissected them with an injured calf. DeMarcus Lawrence was finishing his rookie season at the time, with quite the moment to commemorate it a week prior against the Detroit Lions (both moments, for those who remember), and Dallas was relying on players like Jeremy Mincey to be the difference-maker.
We have come quite a long way since then to the point that Micah Parsons has made sacking the quarterback a common and expected occurrence. Tank Lawrence is obviously still around and makes for the perfect wingman as far as the duo is concerned, not quite the Robin to Micah’s Batman but more like the Qui-Gon to his Obi-Wan.
In many ways, the Cowboys will go as far as these two Jedis can carry the team and the younglings behind them on the depth chart. We have finally reached the defensive side of the ball in our Roster Breakdown Series here on the blog, a project we undertook a few weeks ago and will ride out up to training camp’s beginning.
Here are all of the position groups that we have discussed so far.
There are video versions/discussions to each position linked within each respective article (the one for edge rushers is a bit down below in the middle of the discussion) if that is more your thing. Thank you as always for any kind of way that you support the BTB cause.
Let’s get into what the Cowboys have going up front at edge rusher, a position where they have lost two savvy veterans and and added a second-round draft pick since we last saw them… coincidentally a dissection from a non-Rodgers Packers quarterback.
Micah Parsons
Remember when we did not know where to lump Parsons in positional conversations? That feels like eons ago.
Parsons is a pass rusher charged with getting after the quarterback and to our great enjoyment he has proven to be rather good at this over the course of the last three years. Given that he has that much time served many of us wondered whether he would have a record-setting extension by now, but hey, whatever, man.
In terms of who he is as a football player it is very difficult to expect more from Parsons. Regarding expectations he has turned the impossible into ordinary so much so that when he doesn’t do something ridiculous it feels like he had a bad game. That is rarified air.
There is no question about who he is or what he offers the team. He is arguably the best player on the roster and quite possibly the best defensive player in the NFL.
DeMarcus Lawrence
As noted up top it was an entire decade ago when DeMarcus Lawrence was carrying around helmets and shoulder pads from veterans as a Dallas Cowboys rookie. He has had quite the career.
Ever the underrated player (we can only say “it is about more than sacks” so many times), Lawrence has been an incredible point of stability for the Cowboys over the course of his career. He has seen a lot of change in terms of the way Dallas handles that side of the ball and has taken to the new-look version of things with Parsons on the other side and Dan Quinn calling the shots better than anybody else. Tank remains one of the best run defenders in the game among edge rushers, an elite quality of his that is often overlooked, and is the vocal leader of the unit.
Given the time served here and state of the position (more on that in a moment) it stands to reason that this could be his swan song with the Cowboys. Like many that have come before him, the hope here is that it isn’t spent in vain and that the team can give somebody with a decade’s worth of tenure the game’s ultimate prize, but we have all spent multiple decades hoping that same hope over and over again.
Sam Williams
The Cowboys have made a number of bold bets ahead of the 2024 season and one of them most certainly includes that Sam Williams can take the next step, similar to what Dorance Armstrong did previously.
Even though Armstrong’s contract with the team was viewed as a consolation price for Randy Gregory’s loss, the deal that Dallas locked down with him in 2022 proved to be incredible. Armstrong was a very valuable part of the pass rush rotation and turned in big play after big play. He also contributed significantly on special teams.
This is what Sam Williams will be asked to do in his third NFL season. We have yet to see a year (we are only talking about two to be fair) where Williams has put it all together, but some of that was a lack of opportunity with Armstrong ahead of him on the depth chart. In our current moment Williams is the first man off the bench (generally speaking) to get a shot when Parsons or Lawrence need a breather. He will be critical to the team’s depth proving its value.
In talking about Sam Williams and his career so far, it is difficult to overlook things like penalties that have held him back from really contributing to the cause. With more pressure, expectation and responsibility placed on him the time is now for Williams to rise to the challenge.
We will be dropping videos breaking down position groups on the Dallas Cowboys roster every Tuesday and Thursday for the next few weeks as we get closer and closer to training camp. Make sure to subscribe to the Blogging The Boys YouTube Channel (which you can do right here) so you do not miss any of them.
Marshawn Kneeland
If Sam Williams is the new Dorance Armstrong, then you can make the argument that Marshawn Kneeland is the new Sam Williams. The analogy is not quite apples to apples, but you get the point.
Kneeland was the Cowboys’ second-round selection a few months ago and that means that they viewed him as someone who they really wanted on their roster. Dallas has a history of being rather bold with their second-round selections and that reputation may work against Kneeland, but he was a highly productive player in college.
We have not mentioned Mike Zimmer to this point and obviously he matters given that he is the new defensive coordinator calling the shots. Whether or not he employs a platoon-like approach to his edge rushers in the way that Dan Quinn remains to be seen (it is not likely) which means that Kneeland may not have a ton of opportunities right away.
Perhaps Kneeland will benefit from veteran days given to Parsons and/or Lawrence throughout the long days in Oxnard at training camp. If we get to see him go up against the only Cowboys player drafted ahead of him in Tyler Guyton things could get fun, but of course it all remains to be seen.
Junior Fehoko
There has been chatter before about Junior Fehoko kicking inside but for the purposes of this conversation we are going to lump him in at defensive end. Obviously sometimes things can get a little bit wonky with positional lineups. Thankfully this overall exercise means we will get to everyone throughout it all.
Regarding matters at hand, there is very little known about Fehoko at the NFL level. We have yet to see anything (basically) from him so far which is certainly disappointing.
Fehoko is hardly in jeopardy of a roster spot but training camps like this one for players in these sort of positions are important. Given that he was a fourth-round pick just last year it is going to be critical (although not of the highest order) for Dallas to see some sort of improvement at this point. Fehoko benefits from the departures of Armstrong and Dante Fowler in that they opened things up from a purely numerical perspective, but he needs to add something to the mix in his own right as well.
The Rest of the Group
As noted there is some positional flexibility here as well with Byron Vaughns as we may see him get some work at linebacker, too. We’ve placed him here so please remember that when he is absent from the linebacker group moving forward.
But Vaughns, Durrell Johnson and Tyrus Wheat seem to be players with longer shots and odds to make the final roster when it is all said and done. Given the stability at the top of the defensive end portion of the depth chart there is very little room to wedge in and pry something away from someone. Still though this is the NFL and the land of infinite opportunity so maybe fate will smile properly upon someone.
For now this figures to be where sacks come (if they do at all) throughout the preseason. Perhaps somebody will provide a moment where they beat an offensive lineman of note during a one on one and makes the case for their name in that respect.
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