2. Osa Odighizuwa/Quinton Bohanna, DTs
I’m putting two rookie defensive tackles into the same bucket because, simply, they are in the same boat as we look towards the 2021 season for Dallas. Neville Gallimore (if he can stay healthy) is looking like a breakout player and there are solid veterans with Carlos Watkins and Brent Urban. But the depth on the interior of the defensive line needs to be shored up in a big way, which is where Osa Odighizuwa and Quinton Bohanna could come into play.
The pair of rookies played the majority of the snaps against the Steelers in the Hall of Fame Game, evidence that the Cowboys know they need depth and are trying to get as many looks at these players as humanly possible. They had ups and downs, as would be expected from a third- and sixth-round pick. But with more reps and a potentially good matchup, the Cardinals afford Odighizuwa and Bohanna a good chance to show some real value to the defense.
1. Bradlee Anae, DE
Even more concerning than the lack of defensive tackle depth from the Hall of Fame Game was the lack of edge pass rush. With DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory not seeing the field, the Cowboys were incapable of getting an outside pass rush. That’s a severe issue for Dallas and is why Bradlee Anae, who returned to practice this past week, could be a crucial component.
A fifth-round pick out of Utah last year, Anae played minimal snaps early in the year before being ruled inactive for most of the end of the season. However, he’s been performing well as a pass-rusher off the bat in practices, which we want to see against Arizona. But more important to him being a key rotational piece will be if he’s improved his run defense, which was a limiting factor to his playing time as a rookie.