Antwaun Woods will be back soon which will be a huge help to the Cowboys front four. However, they won’t be getting Tyrone Crawford back anytime soon as he’s been sent to the IR due to a hip injury. That hurts as Crawford is the Swiss Army Knife of the line, capable of playing either defensive end spot as well as the three-technique. So far this season, Crawford was credited with just three tackles and one sack but his presence was felt well beyond those numbers.
The former third-round pick out of Boise State did a lot of the dirty work that doesn’t show up in the box score. He would run stunts and take on blockers to help free up guys such as DeMarcus Lawrence and Robert Quinn. In addition to that, he was a veteran leader.
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While his presence can’t be replaced the Cowboys can try and get some production in his place. Rookie second-round pick Trysten Hill will likely get a lot more time as the No. 2 three-technique behind Maliek Collins, but that’s not encouraging as he’s been struggling to date.
With that being the case, Dallas could look to take a flier on a low-risk high-potential player such as Solomon Thomas. Formerly the third-overall pick for the San Francisco 49ers, Thomas has been relegated to backup duty with Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead starting along the defensive line for the 49ers.
That could make him expendable, and Dallas could land a rather talented player who is motivated to prove he’s not a draft bust. They’ve had some success with players such as this before and it could be worth a shot once again.