Cowboys 'To-Do List' Criticisms Part 3: 'Build D-Line Around Tank Lawrence
FRISCO - The respected Bill Barnwell offers up a series at ESPN billed as being about "the first five things (NFL teams) should be thinking about as they prepare for the new league year, which begins on March 18.''
In reviewing it, we sense a "Dallas sucks'' tone as much as we do an analytical one. Maybe it's due to the fact that the 8-8 record from 2019 colors every single thing about the Cowboys in tones of disappointment.
But we're not sure that's fair ... and so we tackle Barnwell's analysis of the Cowboys with our analysis of Bill's analysis ... all this week, a five-part series on Bill's five parts, which are about:
1) Lock Up Dak (read it here), 2) Transition-Tag Amari (read it here), 3) Build Around Tank, 4) Sign a Star DB and 5) Find a Tight End. Today, Part 3, Build Around Tank ...
Barnwell Job 3. Rebuild the defensive line around DeMarcus Lawrence. Beyond Barnwell accurately points out that Dallas' D-line cupboard is at present largely bare. He notes: The Cowboys have major work to do up front on defense. Robert Quinn, Michael Bennett, Maliek Collins, Christian Covington and Kerry Hyder are all free agents.
He also suggests, "It's probably time to move on from Tyrone Crawford, who hasn't lived up to a $45 million extension.'' And he writes, "The defense is likely to stick with four down linemen as its base defense package, which means it needs to do some work.''
Oh, and one more suggestion from Bill: "You can't count out the Cowboys in the Jadeveon Clowney pursuit, even if it means paying two defensive ends like franchise players.''
FISH'S TAKE: We're all doing some educated-guess work on some of these items. But on others, we think we have factual bullet points. Here, some of both:
*We've talked to Quinn. He would like to stay ... though there is no doubt that the predicted numbers make that tough. (Exclusive interview here.)
*Our staff has on a couple of occasions in recent weeks bumped into Tyrone Crawford here inside The Star. Our best guess is that Dallas is not going to "move on from'' him. (Story here.)
*The four-down-linemen issue is in fact the plan, as per new coach Mike McCarthy's direct answer to CowboysSI.com's question on that subject.
*We like that Barnwell mentions connections on the new Cowboys staff back to old haunts, where lesser names like the Saints' David Onyemata and former Packers standout Mike Daniels (late of Detroit) can make sense. We are however dumbfounded at ESPN's attempt to connect Jadeveon Clowney to Dallas, and also doubtful as it regards a Cowboys' view of a pass-rusher coming off a three-sack season as worthy of being "paid like a franchise player.''
Dallas absolutely needs to re-build its D-line with Tank as the central figure. Knowing that, though, is the easy part. The more difficult task, for us to determine as observers and for the Cowboys themselves to determine as "deciders'' is ... how?
