Solution Required: Cowboys needs at defensive tackle grow by the day

The Cowboys had to improve at DT this offseason but without using free agency, they’re getting worse, putting extra pressure on the draft, says @ReidDHanson.

When the 2024 offseason began, the Cowboys knew they had an issue in the middle of their defensive line. Troubles inside frequently seeped into the second level of the Dallas defense. Offensive linemen paved the way as opposing attacks ran rampant through the Cowboys’ notoriously thin LB corps.

To many, upgrading the middle was priority No. 1 on the defense this offseason. Outside of Johnathan Hankins, the Cowboys lacked stoutness inside. To make matters worse, Mazi Smith who was their first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, inexplicably slimed down prior to the season, resulting in more of a 3-tech role than a 1-tech role. Hankins was the best of the bunch at 1-tech, but he was clearly miscast as a starter and was better suited to play a rotational role behind someone, not leading the unit.

The Cowboys weren’t the only team needing an upgrade at 1-tech this offseason. An otherwise deep free agent class was picked clean at the opening bell, leaving very few options available today.

The Cowboys, always the patient buyers, now find themselves moving in the wrong direction at DT. Instead of upgrading in front of Hankins on the depth chart like so many pleaded all offseason, the Cowboys managed to lose Hankins entirely. Now they find themselves in the unfortunate position of needing not just one 1-tech DT, but two 1-tech DTs.

With Mike Zimmer running the defense in 2024, Smith could very well be asked to put weight back on and move back to a role he was more familiar with in college. But expectations should be set realistically for the second-year defender. Smith had arguably the most disappointing rookie season since Bobby Carpenter and anything more than a supportive role for Smith in 2024 is far-fetched.

Hankins-level players still appear to be on the free agent market, but options are drying up fast. Besides, the goal was to upgrade the interior, not replace it with similar talent. If the Cowboys want to see improved box play from their LBs and SAFs, they need stouter play on their line. At this point it doesn’t appear possible.

Free agency isn’t over and the draft remains, so all hope isn’t lost. But with major holes at OT, OC, LB and RB already, it’s hard to envision a way the Cowboys adequately fill all of their many starting roles between now and training camp.

Hankins wasn’t a player who absolutely had to be re-signed but the 1-tech DT position group was a group that absolutely had to be upgraded. That’s looking less and less possible by the day.

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Seahawks expected to sign former Cowboys DT Johnathan Hankins

Hankins has been around the league.

The Seattle Seahawks may not have been active during the first wave of free agency, but they appear to be making up for lost time in the later stages. On Tuesday, Seattle signed former Titans defensive back K’Von Wallace to a contract, and apparently Wallace was not the last one on John Schneider’s agenda for today.

It was announced Tuesday afternoon that the Seahawks are going to sign veteran defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins. Hankins will join a defensive line eager to stop the bleeding of being one of the worst against the run in the NFL.

Hankins has been around the league. Originally a second-round pick by the New York Giants during the 2013 NFL draft, Hankins spent the first four years of his career with Big Blue before becoming an Indianapolis Colt.

Hankins’ stint in the Heartland did not last long, as after one year he was released. He then spent the next four and a half seasons with the Raiders in both Oakland and Las Vegas before being traded to the Dallas Cowboys midway through the 2022 season.

The Cowboys connection likely landed Hankins in Seattle, as new Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde was his defensive line coach for the last two years.

More Seahawks Wire stories

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Grading first wave of Seahawks free agent signings

ESPN: Seahawks interested in free agent DT Johnathan Hankins

The Seahawks are interested in free agent defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, according to a report by Brady Henderson at ESPN.

The Seahawks are interested in free agent defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, according to a report by Brady Henderson at ESPN.

Hankins (6-foot-2, 320 pounds) would bring a ton of experience to Seattle’s interior defensive line rotation. Originally a second-round pick by the Giants back in 2013, he has appeared in 152 regular season games in his career, starting 134 of them. All together, he has totaled 403 tackles, 17.5 sacks, 50 quarterback hits and 39 tackles for a loss.

Hankins played the last season and a half for the Cowboys, where his position coach was Seattle’s new defensive coordinator Aden Durde.

While his grades have been on the decline for a while, Hankins has generally been a two-down defender in his career. If the Seahawks do sign him he would project as a backup behind starters Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed and Dre’Mont Jones.

More Seahawks Wire stories

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Grading every free agent signing for Seahawks so far

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Breaking down what Sam Howell means for Seahawks

Free agent Johnathan Hankins: ‘Just more motivated’ to complete ‘unfinished business’ with Cowboys

From @ToddBrock24f7: The veteran DT nearly retired after the ’22 season, but his first full year in Dallas ‘lit a fire,” and he hopes to keep it burning in ’23.

When Johnathan Hankins was traded to the Cowboys halfway through last season, he wasn’t sure what to expect.

Though he’s played just 19 games in the star, it has indeed been quite a journey for the 31-year-old. Since first suiting up for his fourth team, Hankins has proved to be an immediate upgrade for the Dallas defense, contemplated retirement, tested the waters of free agency, rediscovered his love for the game, gone on a promising championship run, seen it end prematurely in bitter disappointment, and is now ready to run it all back and do it again.

Hankins talked about it all in a 20-minute video on his YouTube channel meant to give fans deeper insight into his life both on and off the field after over a decade in the league.

Right now, Hankins said, the whole team is still reeling from its embarrassing wild-card loss to Green Bay.

“This is what we dream for, this is -for some guys- everything they wanted in their whole life. To come up short, we’re all shocked. We’re all hurt. Honestly, this year, we thought we were going to make it to the Super Bowl. And we should have,” the former Ohio State star said. “It definitely sucks.”

But he added, “We’ll be back, and that’s what I’ve got to say.”

“I’ve still got some unfinished business, still got some goals I want to achieve, still want to win that Super Bowl trophy. So is Hank done? No, Hank is just more motivated than I was in years previously. The goal of mine is to get to the Super Bowl. I would love for it to be here.”

Whether or not that last part happens for the veteran will be one of the many pieces of business facing the Dallas front office this offseason.

Hankins was traded to the Cowboys in late October 2022, a midseason move meant to beef up a run defense that was seen as the unit’s most glaring weakness.

The 2013 second-round draft pick of the Giants admitted “not necessarily knowing how it was going to go,” he said. “But I did know that they needed a guy inside that can stop the run and help out this defense.”

The Cowboys promptly gave up over 200 rushing yards in each of the first two games in which Hankins suited up.

“It was a lot of adjustment,” the 320-pounder said after spending the previous two and a half years with the Raiders.

Adjustments were made all around, and his impact was enough over another five games (including playoffs) to warrant the Cowboys re-signing Hankins to a one-year deal to return, but not until after he had fielded other offers in free agency.

“It was slow,” he said. “Obviously, I didn’t get necessarily what I wanted. But at the end of the day, I still love this game and feel like I’m playing at a high level.”

But even that was in some degree of doubt, with Hankins admitting that he contemplated hanging up his cleats prior to the 2023 season.

“To be honest, not really sure if I really wanted to continue playing. Obviously, my daughter was turning two at the time,” he explained. “Not to say I was done with football, but I just wanted to spend time with my family.”

It was a perhaps unexpected thing that rekindled the flame.

Many veteran players dread the grind of training camp, assembling in some far-flung location during the dog days of summer just to start the hard hitting and heavy lifting once again.

For Hankins, though, he says his 11th training camp- his first with the Cowboys in California- was nothing short of a revelation.

“It was amazing,” he explained. “I was able to bring my family to to Oxnard. We stayed at a resort, so in between just grinding for football, trying to build that chemistry, I was still able to get some time away from football while being in training camp to hang out with my family, take my daughter to the beach, go out to eat. Just that experience- being there, the way Jerry Jones set up everything- it was top of the line.”

But it was his Cowboys teammates who finally made it all click.

“Being with Law, being with Micah, D.A., Osa,” he recalled, “it really lit another fire under me.”

That fire burned on the field, too. With Hankins in the huddle for nearly one-third of the team’s defensive snaps, the 2023 Cowboys run defense allowed almost 300 fewer rushing yards than the previous season. The worst outing for the D-line (266 rushing yards surrendered to Buffalo) just happened to be the first game all season that Hankins missed, due to injury. And he served as a yearlong mentor for younger interior linemen like Chauncey Golston and first-round rookie Mazi Smith.

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There’s still work to be done, however, with plenty of questions surrounding the Dallas defense and its personnel, on both the field and the sideline.

Hankins hopes he’ll be there to keep chipping away at that unfinished business.

“Is this the last time you’re going to see Big Hank?” he asked. “I don’t think so. I’ll definitely be back. Speaking with the Cowboys, speaking with Mike [McCarthy] and the staff, obviously I’m still playing at a high level, and I still want to continue to play but I’m a free agent. I think I brought some good value to this team… I still got something left in the tank.”

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Cowboys’ defense never stood a chance against Matt LaFleur, Jordan Love, and Aaron Jones

The Dallas Cowboys had no chance against the Green Bay Packers, and that story was told before the two teams even hit the field.

We’re sure that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will want to investigate how and why his high-priced, Mike McCarthy-led offense made the Green Bay Packers’ defense, led by embattled defensive coordinator Joe Barry, look like the ’85 Chicago Bears when it mattered in Dallas’ humiliating 48-32 wild-card loss. But the real issue causing Dallas’ early exit from the postseason was that the Cowboys’ defense, led by highly-regarded coordinator Dan Quinn, never had a puncher’s chance against Packers head coach Matt LaFleur’s offense.

Coming into this game, the Cowboys had played the third-highest rate of man coverage (39.4%), behind only the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. And against man coverage in the regular season, Packers quarterback Jordan Love had completed 61 of 128 attempts for 788 yards, 581 air yards, a league-high 12 touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 92.2. Also, the Cowboys played the second-highest rate of single-high coverage in the regular season (64.9%), behind only the Cleveland Browns (65.4%). And against single-high coverage this season, Love has completed 100 of 155 passes for 1,253 yards, 776 air yards, eight touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 104.0.

So, the Cowboys tried to play a bit more zone against the Packers, to little avail, but this was a clear case of a miserable matchup in which Dallas’ opposing quarterback was ready to demolish everything the Cowboys threw at him. And at that point, it mattered little that the Cowboys came into this game with the fifth-best Defensive DVOA.

The absolute nadir of Dallas’ defensive approach in this beatdown was Love’s 38-yard touchdown with 1:27 left in the third quarter. The game was already 34-16 in Green Bay’s favor, and though the Cowboys did their best to come back against the Packers’ backups, that was pretty much it.

As we always like to say here at Touchdown Wire, don’t play man if you can’t play man.

The second part of Dallas’ defensive breakdown was what running back Aaron Jones was able to do to them, and this was even more predictable. The Cowboys under Quinn feature a ton of big nickel and dime defense, which means that the guys up front, generally in four-man fronts, had best be able to hold up. That hasn’t happened with consistency since defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 14 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Hankins was back on the field for this game, but it didn’t matter, and it didn’t matter because Jones had been among the NFL’s best running backs in the last few weeks of the regular season.

Well, Jones finished this game with 119 carries and three touchdowns on 21 carries.

Similarly to the Browns’ inability to adjust to the things about their defense that C.J. Stroud was obviously set up to tear apart, the Cowboys had no answers for the Packers, because the Packers were designed as if to specifically demolish everything Dan Quinn loves.

Browns’ refusal to adapt on defense cost them dearly against C.J. Stroud

At a certain point, you just have to tip your hat and move on to next season.

Cowboys-Commanders final injury report for Week 18: Illness on Dallas side, IR a plenty for Washington

Washington will be without four players while Dallas has seven designated as questionable ahead of the final matchup of the 2023 regular season. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The final regular season game is less than 48 hours away now, and the Dallas Cowboys are set to fly into the Washington Metro area, better known as the DMV. The team will be greeted by bad weather on Saturday that’s expected to clear out before the game, but the winter vibe hit the Cowboys before they left Texas.

Five players are on the injury report due to illness, including starting center Tyler Biadasz and starting safety Malik Hooker. They are two of seven questionable Cowboys, although none have been ruled out. Dallas will look to clinch their second NFC East championship in three years on Sunday when they take on a Washington club that will be without several key players.

The Commanders placed three players on injured reserve this week, including slot corner Kendall Fuller. DT Johnathan Allen was also ruled out of the contest as both starters are dealing with knee injuries. Washington also has three additional players marked as questionable.

Here’s a look at the week of practice and game designations for all parties entering the Week 18 tilt.

Hankins, Smith’s return to Cowboys are welcomed, provided they’re really ready

If Johnathan Hankins and Tyler Smith are healthy and the risk of re-injury is minimal, Cowboys shouldn’t hesitate playing them in Week 18. | From @ReidDHanson

The Cowboys suffered a pair of significant blows to both sides of their interior lines over the last month. Johnathan Hankins, Dallas’ top run stuffer, fell to a high ankle sprain in Week 14. Then in Week 17, the Cowboys lost LG Tyler Smith to a torn plantar fascia late in the third quarter.

The absences of Smith and Hankins were felt as the Cowboys struggled to replace the all-important starters in the lineup. Dallas’ running game fell to -0.340 EPA/rush in the fourth quarter without Smith. And since Hankins was lost, the Cowboys’ run defense has allowed a success rate of 48 percent on the ground, which ranks 31st in the NFL during that stretch.

So, when Mike McCarthy addressed their respective injury statuses this week, saying there’s a chance both would be available for the regular season finale, Cowboys Nation collectively rejoiced. Both sides of the ball stand to improve with their return and Dallas needs a win in Week 19 to secure the NFC East crown and the No. 2 seed for the postseason.

But given the importance of both players to the Cowboys, Dallas can’t afford to jeopardize their long-term impact for some short-term gains in Week 18. Given the falloff behind Smith and Hankins in the lineup, some argue the risk of re-injury isn’t worth it.

To clear something up at the start, there are no indications either specific player is at an added risk of re-injury by returning in Week 18 vs returning in the wild card round. But high ankle sprains in general, do have added injury risk is a player comes back too early. Similarly, while each case is unique, a torn plantar fascia has the potential for re-injury or be the cause of ancillary injuries if a player is compensating for pain.

The Cowboys clearly want Smith and Hankins back in the lineup this week, but not if it potentially has negative effects on their postseason roster.

Cowboys Week 17 Inactives: Tyron Smith will go, Deuce Vaughn to see first action in 2 months

The Cowboys’ OL will be intact, but the defensive line continues to be depleted. A look at who is sitting out Saturday night. | From @KDDrummondNFL

After a one-game blip on the radar, the Dallas Cowboys hope to get their offensive line back in sync in Week 17 against the Detroit Lions. Tyron Smith missed his fourth game of the year in last week’s loss at Miami, due to a back injury, and the Dolphins were able to pressure Dak Prescott relentlessly. Now, Smith is active after practicing on Thursday in preparation for the team’s final home contest of the season.

Also active will be running back Deuce Vaughn, replacing backup running back Rico Dowdle who is inactive with an ankle injury. Vaughn hasn’t seen the field since Week 10, and the crowd favorite will certainly garner so cheers when he hits the field. Here’s a look at both team’s inactives for the game.

Cowboys 55-man roster for Week 16: Tyron Smith out, but no OL elevations vs Dolphins

The Cowboys are without their starting left tackle, but aren’t making any roster moves to account for it. Here’s what they did and didn’t do ahead of the clash with the water mammals. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys have ruled left tackle Tyron Smith out for their Week16 game against the Miami Dolphins. The future Hall of Famer has been outstanding all season, but sometime during the loss to Buffalo last week, he tweaked his back. Unable to practice all week he was originally given a doubtful designation, but on Saturday he was ruled out.

He will not fly to Florida with the club. Chuma Edoga will replace him in the starting lineup. Dallas did not make any roster moves related to Smith, though, as second-year tackle Matt Waletzko was not activated from IR despite practicing for the last couple of weeks. The team did elevate two practice squad players, however.

Both DT Carl Davis and RB Malik Davis are being brought up to make it a 55-man roster. This is the running back’s final elevation for the season. Carl Davis is moving up in response to Johnathan Hankins’ leg injury, as the big nose tackle will miss his second-straight week.

In Week 15, Carl Davis saw 14 snaps on defense. Malik Davis saw 16 special teams snaps, but none on offense.

Here’s a look at the full roster, before Dallas announces their inactives list ahead of Sunday’s kickoff.

 

Quarterbacks (3)
Running Backs (4)
Wideouts (6)
Tight Ends (4)
Offensive Tackles (3)
Offensive Guards (4)
Centers (2)

Defensive Ends (4)
Defensive Tackles (5)
Linebacker (4)
Cornerbacks (6)
Safeties (6)

Special Teams (3)

Week 15 Final Injury Report: Cowboys rule out Hankins, Bills Hyde while illness threatens others

A look at the final roll call of the walking wounded ahead of Sunday’s tilt between two of the best from their respective conferences. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys knew they were going to be without their key run stopper when they travel in Week 15. Friday’s game designations just made it official. The Cowboys will be without defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, who suffered a high ankle sprain in Sunday’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles. That leaves them a bit shorthanded in trying to stop the Bills ground attack, from an offense that appears to be really healthy.

Despite having three key members on this week’s injury report, none of them received a game designation and that includes quarterback Josh Allen who is nursing a right shoulder injury. Meanwhile the Bills will be without two of their own key defenders while also having a third questionable. Dallas has two members of their starting secondary questionable as both Stephon Gilmore (illness) and safety Malik Hooker (ankle) received the designation.

Gilmore is one of four Cowboys dealing with a sickness that started going through the team last week and led to Micah Parsons receiving a late-week designation before koickoff against Philly. He played through that and carries no designation itno this game. For a full accounting of all of the players listed with nicks, bruises, coughs or sniffles throughout the week, check out the countdown below.