Dallas Cowboys: David Irving could be their best pass rusher in 2017

With all the talk this offseason for the Dallas Cowboys being centered around finding a ‘war daddy’ pass rusher, David Irving may very well be their guy.

Earlier in the offseason Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones made headlines when he said the team needed a “war daddy” on defense. It was a goofy term that only Jones would ever come up with, but he was right. The Cowboys issues in the playoffs following their 13-3 season in 2016 came down to defense. No one on that side of the ball was able to step up when it was needed most.

It was obvious they intended to fix that problem in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Cowboys selected defensive end Taco Charlton in the first round, cornerback Chidobe Awuzie in the second and cornerback Jourdan Lewis in the third. They later added safety Xavier Woods, corner Marquez White and defensive tackles Jordan Carrell and Joey Ivie in the later rounds.

However, none of them can really be expected to be a seasoned “war daddy” as rookies, right? Well, they may not have to. One player who could see another huge jump in his production and become the pass rushing leader they need in 2017 is defensive end David Irving.

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The former undrafted free agent out of Iowa State has been a pleasant surprise for the Cowboys ever since signing him off the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad in 2015. He was credited with 14 quarterback pressures as a rookie despite playing minimal snaps. He finished his rookie season with 13 tackles and a half sack. Last year, he had developed into a much better pass rusher and was even called the best Dallas had by Brett Whitefield of Pro Football Focus:

"“David Irving was a pleasant surprise and was their best pass-rusher in 2016. Irving produced 37 total pressures while splitting his playing time almost 50/50 between edge and DI.”"

Irving didn’t see his total number of tackles increase too much, as he still had just 17 on the season. What he did manage was to finish much better in the sack department as he was credited with four as a sophomore player. Irving also added four forced fumbles and five pass deflections for the Dallas defense.

What’s most impressive about his season was he did so while playing in just 46.06 percent of the team’s defensive snaps. Part of the reason he was limited in that regard was issues with consistency, which is normal for an undrafted player in just his second season. Year 3 though, could be totally different for Irving.

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Now entering veteran status, Irving looks to continue his growth for Dallas and should see more time on the field as he is taking more coaching from defensive coordinator Rod Marineli. The increased snaps mean his sack will total increase even more in 2017. With all the focus being on their rookie Charlton, don’t be too taken aback when Irving proves to be the best pass rushing option for America’s Team in the coming year.