There’s no question the Dallas Cowboys boast one of the NFL’s best and most complete defenses. There are playmakers galore both at the line of scrimmage and in coverage. Back in the day, the phrase turn would have been “at all three levels”, but the transition of defensive personnel into hybrid modalities blurs the lines. Dan Quinn is one of the scheme leaders in that respect, favoring linebackers who primarily have edge responsibilities and three-safety groupings that take on roles formerly manned by a third linebacker.
But scheme isn’t enough on its own; having stand outs play their roles well is imperative in getting a defense that ranked No. 3 in DVOA pass defense in 2022 after ranking second in 2021.
The uniqueness of how Quinn places his chess pieces has resulted in them having not one, but two different players identified among the league’s best in defending the slot entering 2023, per Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar.
But it’s deeper than that, because one of the two on the 2023 list was an injury replacement for someone who made Farrar’s list in 2022.