Coach Carter: Cowboys’ Tomsula gets JMU stud to mold into star

Will this FCS star be the eventual successor at DE for the Cowboys? Ron’Dell Carter made his mark at JMU, and now looks to do so for Dallas.

Round and round they go, where they stop, only Jim Tomsula knows. The Dallas Cowboys have trotted out a number of players at right defensive end, hoping to find a permanent bookend to stud left DE DeMarcus Lawrence. Tyrone Crawford, Taco Charlton, Randy Gregory and Robert Quinn have all been afforded the opportunity, but none have latched onto the opportunity for a long-lasting relationship.

Entering 2020, there’s another collection of possibilities with various levels of upside and experience. Of the many options presented Tomsula, the club’s new defensive line coach, 23-year-old  Ron’Dell Carter has one thing no other challenger does: the largest guaranteed contract and signing bonus of all their 2020 UDFAs.

The Cowboys have some experience with James Madison edge rushers, of course. Charles Haley also hailed from the Virginia school.

Coming off a 12-sack senior season, Carter was one of the best defensive players in the FCS last year. After spending his first two seasons at Rutgers, Carter transferred to JMU, where he racked up 152 total tackles over three years (48 for loss, 23.5 sacks, ninth all-time in school history), four pass defenses and two forced fumbles.

Take it to the bank, this FCS star has a chance to not just make the team, but be an actual contributor for Dallas.

 

In 2019, he was a first-team All-American and was named the Phil Steele FCS National Defensive Player of the Year. He may be a small-school prospect, but Carter had serious buzz following the draft, and had offers from reportedly well over half the league.

From the official team website’s UDFA profile of Carter:

“Carter put together plenty of production that’s good enough to turn heads from an FCS level . . . His quickness of the line of scrimmage is apparent and his frame is a great foundation for a rookie on the edge. His versatility to play both left and right end, which he did in college, is a huge plus as he fights for playing time in a crowded position group. Quick and agile enough to contribute in the run game as well as in pursuit of a ball carrier.”

He also received high-praise in the DallasCowboys.com’s DE position breakdown:

“. . . keep an eye on undrafted free agent Ron’Dell Carter out of James Madison. Head Coach Mike McCarthy is from Pittsburgh and has connections with James Madison . . .  Carter reportedly turned down 24 other NFL teams that were interested in signing him after the draft to come to Dallas. The Cowboys gave him a larger signing bonus than any other of their undrafted free agents. Carter recorded 12 sacks last season. He’ll have a good shot at making the final roster, and what he can do from there is anyone’s guess.”

Coming in at 6-foot-3 and 269 pounds, Carter has traits which seemingly align with how Mike Nolan wants to run the Cowboys defense. Dallas will reportedly utilize defenders in hybrid roles, asking players to be multiple on the field, something Carter has experience with as he detailed to CBS Sports:

“When I was at Rutgers, I was [weighing in] at 282 — the highest I’ve gotten. I just couldn’t play the way I was used to playing. So I went down to JMU and I got my weight back down to where I’m supposed to be playing at — 265 pounds — and that’s when I was able to just go off. I was in a 4-2-5/4-3 defense, playing defensive end and sometimes I’d go inside and rush the passer at 3-tech, drop back into coverage at 3-tech, etc . . . I was just able to play my style of play. From that point, each year I got better.”

Carter seemingly lived in opposing backfields at JMU, playing for a swarming defense that often sent blitzers. Nolan and Tomsula will likely try to emulate that playing style for the Cowboys in 2020, which should be a change of pace from the bend-but-don’t break defense Dallas would field under Rod Marinelli.

James Madison has been one of the top FCS teams in the country, making the championship game two out of the last three seasons. Not only did the Cowboys scoop up JMU’s best defensive player, but they also drafted their star quarterback, Ben DiNucci in the seventh round. Dallas has made a habit out of plucking small school prospects and turning them into productive NFL players over the years, and hitting on the market inefficiencies of the FCS will allow them to continue to do so in the future.

But some players like Carter, who are truly the total package, make it easy to identify the talent. A natural leader, Carter was a two-time team captain during his three years at JMU, and was someone the both younger players and new a coaching staff leaned on. Despite coming in with a Big 10 pedigree, Carter never stopped working, and eventually transformed into a standout player. Said Carter of the experiences and traits he’ll bring with him to the Cowboys:

“I can be the example of if you keep working, keep grinding and stay the course, everything eventually will work out. I was able to experience those things and at Rutgers it was more of a city area. I was with a lot [of] Jersey kids . . .  I was able to be friends with guys that were Italian, black, white, Hispanic, rich, poor, city guys, country guys. So I can relate to guys because I’ve seen certain things and have had certain experiences.

I’m far from perfect. But I think a lot of coaches recognize that I’m a guy they’ll be able to speak to because I can be an extension of them. And that’s all captains are, an extension of the coaching staff. We don’t tell guys what to do. We just show how it’s done and then you can be a voice for the players in the locker room to express it to the coaches.”

This is part of our Countdown to the Regular Season player profile countdown. Up next is OT Wyatt Miller.

| Antwaun Woods | Tyrone Crawford | Trysten Hill | Jalen Jelks |
| Dontari Poe | Randy Gregory | Gerald McCoy | Dorance Armstrong |
| L.P. Ladouceur | DeMarcus Lawrence | Blake Jarwin | CeeDee Lamb |
| Cole Hikutini | Dalton Schultz | Noah Brown | Sean McKeon |
| Ventell Bryant | Jon’vea Johnson | Blake Bell | Justin Hamilton |
| Cody Wichmann | Tyron Smith | Ladarius Hamilton |
| Neville Gallimore | Terence Steele | Joe Looney | La’el Collins |
| Zack Martin | Brandon Knight |

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