Cowboys Trade for Johnathan Hankins: Enough to Fix Run Defense?
The Dallas Cowboys have plenty of reason to be happy going into their bye week. Dallas sits at 6-2 and is flying high off of a 49-29 blowout win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday. However, there's still work to be done ... particularly with the run defense.
The Cowboys defense has been among the best in the NFL this season while serving as the "thermostat" for this team.
However, it isn't perfect, as the run defense continues to be problematic. Does the pre-deadline trade for Johnathan Hankins figure as a second-half-of-the-season solution?
Dallas ranks No. 3 in scoring defense (16.6 points per game allowed) and seventh in total defense (313.5 total yards allowed per game). Nonetheless, Dallas has allowed the eight most rushing yards per game and the 11th most yards per carry this season.
When the Cowboys traded for defensive tackle Hankins, they hoped that would help address the ongoing issue. He played ... and played well, according to the Dallas coaching staff.
However, the Bears still ran for an absurd 240 yards against Dallas on Sunday with Hankins in the mix. Worth noting, though via the Dallas News: Hankins, by the numbers, made Dallas better ...
"Making our hits in our run game is definitely one of the areas I'm hopeful that we'll attack and address," Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said after the game.
It's certainly an issue the Cowboys will want to "attack and address," as the run defense was the postseason downfall for Dallas last season. Against the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card Round last year, Dallas allowed 169 rushing yards in a 23-17 playoff loss.
If Dallas wants to prevent history from repeating itself and to contend for a Lombardi Trophy this year, the Cowboys need to find a way to stop the run.
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