But Garrett never spent a lot of capital on the defensive line, which was the Achilles heel of the Cowboys throughout Garrett’s tenure at Head Coach. It is why the Romo-led Cowboys always fell short. But with the arrival of Mike McCarthy, who won a Super Bowl a year after spending a top 10 pick on a defensive tackle, things have changed. Below is the draft pedigree of the topline players on the Cowboys current defensive line roster:
- RDE – Micah Parsons – 1st round 2021, 12th overall, Dorance Armstrong, 4th round 2018, 116th overall; Dante Fowler, Jr. – 1st round 2015, 3rd overall
- 3DT – Osa Odighizuwa – 3rd round 2021, 75th overall; Neville Gallimore – 3rd round 2020, 82nd overall; Chauncey Golston – 3rd round 2021, 84th overall
- 1DT – Mazi Smith – 1st round 2023, 26th overall; Johnathan Hankins – 2nd round 2013, 49th overall; Quinton Bohana, 7th round 2021, 192nd overall
- LDE – DeMarcus Lawrence – 2nd round 2014, 34th overall; Sam Williams, 2nd round 2022, 56th overall; Viliami Fehoko, 4th round, 129th overall
Only two Defensive Line players remain from the Garrett era. Since McCarthy took over, he’s spent two 1st round picks, a 2nd round pick, three 3rd round picks, one 4th round pick, and one 7th round pick on defensive linemen. He also signed or traded for two veteran players who were 1st and 2nd round picks by other teams in 2013 and 2015.
The Cowboys now have a rotation of defensive ends that includes two 1st round players, and two 2nd round players. They have a defensive tackle rotation that includes one 1st and one 2nd round players, and three 3rd round players. The pass rush has already been transformed. But the Cowboys added a 1st and 2nd round player to their Defensive tackle rotation just in the last year, which should pay similar dividends in stopping the run in 2023.
Overall, the Cowboys now have four 1st round players, three 2nd round players, and three 3rd round players on their defensive line roster. Plus they have two 4th round players and a 7th round player, one of whom was the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the year in 2022, and was 5th in the nation in tackles for loss. Not a bad third string player to have on the bench. This reminds me of the early 90’s teams, where former Outland Trophy winner as the best Defensive Lineman in College in 1988 Chad Hennings sat behind Russell Maryland, Tony Casillas, Jimmie Jones and Leon Lett. Someone is going to get cut from this very talented group of players because there simply are not enough roster spots available.
This is a huge change from the Garrett years. So for all those complaining about the lack of investment in the Offensive Line, there is a reason. The Cowboys have had to rebuild a portion of the team that was neglected for 15 years. But they also invested a 1st round pick on an Offenisive Lineman in 2022, so it’s not like they are ignoring the offensive line. They just cannot do both at the same time. But it should be encouraging to all Cowboys fans that 3 of the 4 1st round picks used by the Cowboys in the last 4 drafts under Mike McCarthy have been spent on players that are in the trenches – but on both sides of the ball, not just the offense only like it was under Garrett.
