Two seasons ago, the Dallas Cowboys fielded one of the worst defenses in team history. While they were getting run over on the ground, the passing game was busy getting torched, allowing 34 scores through the air. Something had to be done.
The first step was the team ridding themselves of defensive coordinator Mike Nolan and bringing in Dan Quinn to run the D. It took just one year for rapid improvements for the Cowboys’ defense under Quinn. The biggest change was forcing turnovers. Dallas has 34 takeaways under Quinn’s tutelage, an increase of 11 from the previous season.
Looking forward to the upcoming season and there hasn’t been much turnover in personnel on the defense. In is veteran pass rusher Dante Fowler, out is Randy Gregory. The rest of the defense has remained relatively the same, with only the 2022 draft class bringing help. It’s unlikely the defense will cause the same amount of turnovers they forced last season, but their key to improving could come from a group that has shifted towards a youth movement in the last two years.
The Cowboys will field a young, fast defense that has playmakers at all three levels. It begins with star linebacker and the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Micah Parsons, and has the potential to be one of the better defenses in the league.