Dallas Cowboys: Kony Ealy makes too much sense to pass on
By Randy Gurzi
The New England Patriots decided defensive end Kony Ealy wasn’t a fit in their scheme and have released him, and the Dallas Cowboys need to put in a waiver claim
Defensive end Kony Ealy spent just a limited time as a member of the New England Patriots. He was part of a trade in which the Pats dropped eight picks in the draft to acquire the former Carolina Panthers second round pick out of Missouri.
After a couple preseason games, the Patriots were reportedly shopping him but no one bit. According to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, they decided it was just best to move on.
Patriots are releasing DE Kony Ealy, source said. Tried him in their scheme. Not a similar style to Ninkovich so it didn't work out.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 26, 2017
He reportedly wasn’t a fit for the Pats, but could be for the Dallas Cowboys. As Garafolo said, New England wanted someone like former outside linebacker Rob Ninkovich. Ealy is not that type of player. Instead, the 273-pound end is exactly what Dallas needs.
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He’s a hand-in-the-dirt defender that would be a solid rotational piece for defensive Ron Marinelli’s scheme which employs waves of defenders. In 47 games with Carolina, Ealy started 15 times, but proved to bring consistent pressure off the edge. He registered 76 tackles and 14 sacks — with his rookie season of four being a career low.
As it stands now, Dallas is counting on a lot of players who have produced much less than Ealy. They also have some suspensions to overcome as defensive ends David Irving (four games) and Damontre Moore (two games) will miss parts of the regular season.
Adding Ealy helps the entire line as a whole. Currently they have Tyrone Crawford slated to start at left defensive end thanks to the looming suspensions. Ealy’s presence would allow Crawford to spend more time inside as a tackle, a position he clearly is better at.
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Ealy has less than four years in the league, so he’s going to have to go through waivers. Dallas needs to make a claim because the only acceptable excuse for not acquiring him needs to be that someone ahead of them made a claim. It’s not often you get a chance to address an area of need with a quality, young player this late. The Cowboys have to take advantage of that chance.