Breaking down Dallas Cowboys 2019 defensive tackle depth chart
By Randy Gurzi
Underrated Signing: Christian Covington
During his time at Rice, Christian Covington was a rising star. He had 102 tackles and nine sacks in his first two seasons and entered his junior campaign with hopes of becoming a day two draft pick. Then he suffered a knee injury that hurt his stock as he played in just six games.
He still decided to skip his senior season which led to him being selected in the sixth round by the Houston Texans. The Canadian-born Covington played sparingly as a rookie but found himself on the field much more in year two. He had five starts while recording 26 tackles and a sack.
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Unfortunately, he suffered another setback in 2017 as he tore his bicep in Week 8. Covington returned last year and proved to be an effective rotational player, netting 3.5 sacks in 12 games.
Covington signed with Dallas in the offseason on a one-year deal. It wasn’t a huge signing by any means but it also is much better than the attention it got. Covington’s addition gives them a talented player who can give them snaps at either defensive tackle spot. He won’t fill up the stat sheets, but he’s going to be a valuable player.
Reserve Nose Tackle: Daniel Ross
A former teammate of Covington’s with the Houston Texans in 2017, Daniel Ross played collegiately at Northeast Mississippi Community College and was undrafted in 2014. He ended up heading north to play in the CFL for three seasons before bouncing between four teams in 2017.
He finished with Dallas that year, recording five tackles and a sack in three games. Ross returned last season and was another player who surprised in camp and the preseason. He played in 13 games and had 14 tackles with a sack. This year, he’ll be fighting with Covington for snaps and could be threatened by a decent class of undrafted tackles.