Dallas Cowboys: 3 Creative options for pass rush help
By Randy Gurzi
Stephen Jones said the Dallas Cowboys needed to be ‘super creative’ to address issues in free agency, and here are three creative ways to fix their pass rush
Last year, the Dallas Cowboys had a really good pass rush, but it won’t stay that way if they don’t continually add new parts to keep their engine running. They seem to understand this as they’ve been in deep talks with the Miami Dolphins trying to figure out a trade for defensive end Robert Quinn.
Even if they add Quinn, there are issues to address for America’s Team. One of those is the looming contract dispute with DeMarcus Lawrence. Currently held in Dallas by the franchise tag, Lawrence is in need of a new contract and the team seems hesitant to cave on his demands.
They also need to try and fill a hole left by David Irving, who was barely present in 2018. Irving was a great interior pass rusher but never was dependable. Dallas’ defensive line thrives when a three-technique can create pressure, so adding someone there would be huge.
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It also won’t be easy considering their limited cap space. The front office understands as much with vice president Stephen Jones saying they need to get super creative to fill their holes.
"“Where it starts to be a logjam is, when you look, we’ve never paid our linebackers a lot of money, and we’ve got two, I think, rare ones in Jaylon and Leighton,” Jones says via Albert Breer of SI.com. “That’ll be where the logjam starts—when you figure out how to pay the pass rusher, the corners, the receiver, the quarterback, the running back, across the board on the offensive line, and then try to pay a couple linebackers. That’s when you start to have to get super creative. And if you go out and do a deal right now that’s not efficient, you’re starting to take some creative money away that hopefully is going to help you keep Jaylon, hopefully help you keep both corners. We’ll just have to see.”"
Here, we use the approach Jones mentions and try to think outside the box to address the Cowboys need for more pass rushers.