Sad News :”The Uncertain Future of Dallas” Interior Defensive Line: What’s Next?

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FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys have seen the rise of outstanding defensive lineman over the last few seasons, notably on the inside of their defensive line, but the position will still require attention from the organisation as the summer approaches.

Upgrading the run defence and being able to pressure opposing quarterbacks more regularly from the inside out must be a priority in Dallas with a critical season coming in 2024, highlighted by what amounts to a prove-it year for head coach Mike McCarthy and a change at defensive coordinator.

As the offseason approaches, let’s examine their opponents.

Past: The Cowboys have a record of noteworthy interior defensive linemen who have helped set the standard for what the position should be, not too dissimilar from their roster of legendary defensive ends. Aside from flex players, players like Russell Maryland and Randy “The Manster” White—who would later wear a gold jacket—were frequently committed to subduing opposing quarterbacks and rushing attacks.

Although he hasn’t been immortalised in Canton, Maryland’s career record with the Cowboys—which includes three Super Bowl rings—remains intact.

To live up to those kind of expectations is no easy feat, particularly when you include “Mr. Cowboy” himself, Bob Lilly, who started his career as an edge rusher and spent the majority of it inside. Additionally, Jethro Pugh and Jeremiah “Jay” Ratliff made their individual contributions to the organisation.

To help the Cowboys return to the Super Bowl, they must stack up against this lot.

Present: Although I haven’t said anything about what I’ve seen from Osa Odighizuwa, there is one conspicuous absence from the Cowboys’ current defensive lineman class: a legend-level presence. Throughout his three NFL seasons, he has improved every time. He is unquestionably one of the top interior pass rushers and a consistent disruption of opposition backfields.

Over the last two seasons, Odighizuwa has accumulated 89 combined tackles, seven combined sacks, 24 quarterback hits, and one forced fumble. As a 3-tech (right of centre), his ceiling is absurdly high, and the depth behind him isn’t too bad either.

That includes Neville Gallimore and Chauncey Golston, two young players with promise who truly took a step back towards peak form in 2024 after losing his season to a severe elbow injury in 2021 (he was just not the same in 2022 after that devastating injury).

A sign of Gallimore’s return to durability was the fact that he participated in every game the previous season.

What is the state of affairs at 1-tech (nose tackle), though?

After being acquired shortly before the NFL trade deadline in 2022, Jonathan Hankins proved to be an immediate hero at the position in run defence, receiving a one-year extension in the process. With Aden Durde and Dan Quinn overseeing the entire offseason programme, he made the most of it and turned it into an even more successful 2023. He even demonstrated his ability to rush the passer with a two-sack performance against the Commanders on Thanksgiving.

The Cowboys chose to just resign Hankins for a year in order to give themselves time to select a deserving replacement. In the end, they decided to select Mazi Smith with their first-round selection in April of last year.

Smith had a largely forgettable rookie season that he will need to move behind and concentrate on making Year 2 one that truly showcases his abilities, even though he did show flashes here and there. As it stands, an honest current evaluation (in February) is that Smith isn’t ready to take over for Hankins before going through another offseason programme and training camp to ascertain his utilisation under a new defensive coordinator.

Is there a chance that this will alter by September? Yes, but it is the future state of affairs, not the present one. Let’s talk about the future specifically now.

Future: To start with, it’s important to understand that there isn’t any progress to be made in this area as the Cowboys do not currently have a defensive tackle under contract for the future. The future depends on those who are now under contract, but that can and will probably alter when free agency and the draft come and go.

However, not everybody is.

In March, Hankins and Gallimore will both become unrestricted free agents in the absence of a new contract. Concern is heightened by the fact that Golston and Odighizuwa will both be entering contract years in 2024 and that Smith needs more development before he can be fully utilised to start having an influence on NFL games.

The answer here, in my opinion, is to re-sign Hankins and Gallimore, who aren’t likely to fetch a premium pick, add some great veteran depth through free agency, and then go back to the position in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Under a new coordinator, I’ll be curious to see if Viliami “Junior” Fehoko is given more opportunities to prove himself at 3-tech. I think he has some unrealized potential.

Regardless of all other factors, there should never be a draft that takes place without at least one defensive lineman being added to the roster. This ensures that young people will always be competing to get reps and gives a larger pool from which to push veterans—or replace them entirely—should their performance fall short of expectations.

Dallas’ interior defensive line still needs a lot of work, but fortunately, the most of it—if not all of it—is contractual.