Dallas Cowboys: David Irving’s return a difference-maker

 After serving a four-game suspension, the Dallas Cowboys had David Irving back in the lineup, and he showed he can be a difference-maker.

The return of defensive lineman David Irving to the Dallas Cowboys was much needed against the Green Bay Packers in Week 5. After serving a four-game suspension for a positive PED test, having Irving back in the lineup was a welcome sight. Irving began his 2017 season where he left off from last year, by putting pressure on Aaron Rodgers and the offense of the Packers. For his game back, he played with intensity and made some important plays.

Against Green Bay, Irving totaled five tackles (three solo), two sacks and three QB hits. Irving had the fourth most tackles by the Cowboys in the 35-31 home loss. It’s great for the Cowboys to have a 6-7, 290-pound pass rusher back on the field at defensive tackle. He was a force against the Packers last year as well in an October game that saw him force three fumbles.

Late last season, from Week 14-17, Irving stepped up his game as he began to break through the hump and performed at his best. In those four games, Irving garnered 10 of his 17 tackles and had a total of three sacks, showing signs that the Cowboys might have a player who will contribute on a weekly basis.

As Irving missed the first four games, though, the Dallas defense has been shaky at times. The Cowboys are 10th in the league in rushing yards allowed per game at 124 yards and 10th overall in total yards allowed per game at 356 yards.

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The positive on Irving being on the field is he’s fresh and doesn’t have four previous weeks on physical play already taking their toll. He’ll be a much needed burst of energy for the defense for the remainder of the season, especially for a Cowboys defensive unit which has been battling through injuries on at all three levels.

With the defensive line having Irving back, and as Demarcus Lawrence is playing at the best he’s played thus far in his career at defensive end, he stars alongside guys like Maliek Collins and Brian Price in the defensive tackle rotation. Irving and the defensive line now have a great opportunity to do something special in the remaining 11 games of the regular season.

As for his season debut, one play Irving nearly made was stopping Rodgers on what ended up being an 18-yard run for a first down in the fourth quarter, saving the game for Green Bay. Bryan Broddus of DallasCowboys.com wrote this of Irving on that play:

"“David Irving spun late to try and chase down Rodgers, but it was too late. It is my belief that if Lee was on the field, he would have been able to read Rodgers, play the correct technique and force him to either throw the ball away or accept a short gain.”"

Katie Hairopoulos of The Dallas Morning News quoted Irving following the game on his missed tackle of Rodgers:

Having Irving will help the Cowboys greatly, but the defense will still have their issues and growing pains for the rest of the season, which is expected to a certain degree. But improvement will need to be seen each week from here on out.

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Irving makes the defense better with his presence on the field, and the Cowboys were fortunate to have him return against Green Bay, even if it was a losing effort for the team with the loss. It will be exciting for the remainder of the season to see just how good Irving can become, eventually earning back his starting role and increasing his snap count. When that happens the Cowboys should be dangerous up front with the combo of Irving and Demarcus Lawrence, but others will need to step up too.