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Cowboys Enter Draft Again Looking For Pass Rushers Nick Eatman
(Editor's Note: With the NFL Draft (April 23-24) closing in, DallasCowboys.com will take a closer look at each position over the next few weeks, profiling the Cowboys' needs, the top available players and even some of the Cowboys' past memorable picks. The seventh and eighth parts of this 11-part series will profile the defensive end and defensive tackle positions.)
DEFNSIVE ENDS What's Here For the second consecutive year, the Cowboys are again looking for a starting defensive end to play opposite of Greg Ellis, who had another career year in 2004. Ellis set a career-high with nine sacks, but he'll likely have a new counterpart on the right side once again. The Cowboys signed Marcellus Wiley last spring to replace Ebenezer Ekuban. But Wiley never got on track last year, resulting in just three sacks. He was released in March and has already re-signed with the Jaguars. But now the Cowboys are looking for a new starter and it will likely come from the outside. While Eric Ogbogu and Kenyon Coleman are both still around, neither has showed the consistency to step into a starting role. Now the interesting part of this position is whether the Cowboys will actually move to a 3-4 defense from the conventional 4-3 scheme. If the Cowboys make a permanent switch, the defensive end role will be a different one, and maybe even a tough adjustment for a player such as Ellis, who is even considered undersized in a 4-3 scheme. In the 3-4, the ends are usually around 300 pounds, needing to withstand double-teams from the guards and tackles. Either way, the Cowboys have made it clear they need to add players who can apply pressure to the quarterback.
Help On the Way? Most likely the Cowboys won't get through next weekend's draft without upgrading the defensive end position. Both Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones and head coach Bill Parcells have said this off-season the club will determine what defensive scheme will be played, based on the personnel acquired in the off-season. For instance, if the Cowboys come away with a player such as Maryland's Shawne Merriman, who can rush the quarterback from either scheme, it could make for an easier transition to the 3-4. However, players such as Troy's DeMarcus Ware and LSU's Marcus Spears have played more in the 4-3 defense and would be better suited for that scheme. And let's not forget about New Orleans veteran Darren Howard, who was nearly traded to the Cowboys about a month ago with the Saints failing to give him a long-term contract with a signing bonus in the $16 million range. Jones said last week the Cowboys are "nowhere" in trade discussions with the Saints, who initially asked for middle linebacker Dat Nguyen as part of the trade. Jones said the Cowboys not only couldn't agree on compensation, but getting a new contact completed for Howard would also be a difficult chore. So for now, a trade for Howard seems unlikely, but all of that could trade this weekend, when the Cowboys start fielding phone calls from the War Room. But whether it's a player from the draft or a current veteran, the Cowboys will likely come away from the weekend with at least one, possibly two pass rushers.
Cream of the Crop The current defensive end class has seen some changes throughout the last few months, with a couple of players making a last-second surge to the top. Among those players include Troy's DeMarcus Ware, who played in the 4-3 defense in college, but was moved to an outside linebacker in the Senior Bowl and still played well, despite the change. Ware (6-3, 247) dominated at a lower level in college, but might have to beef up quite a bit to make a quick transition to the NFL. He relies on pure speed off the edge, but the knock on him, despite being a bit undersized, is that Ware has the tendency to miss a lot of open-field tackles. Another end making a late push and one the Cowboys are intrigued about is LSU's Marcus Spears, who has played in the 4-3, but may be able to adjust to a 3-4. Spears (6-4, 295) has the size to handle double-teams, something he has seen plenty of during his collegiate career. Despite his size, Spears might be one of the better athletes at his position, having played tight end early in college, and even walked on for the LSU basketball team as a freshman. Two months ago, Spears was a projected second-round pick, who could now move all the way up to No. 11 for the Cowboys' selection. Other top ends include Oklahoma's Dan Cody, Georgia's David Pollack and Notre Dame's Justin Tuck, and all three were among the near 20 prospects who visited the Cowboys last Thursday.
Remember When? Unless the player drafted turns out to be a perennial Pro Bowler, there is always usually someone else the team "should've drafted," especially in the minds of fans. For the Cowboys, none comes to mind more than wide receiver Randy Moss, whom the club passed over in 1998 to draft defensive end Greg Ellis. The Cowboys just couldn't afford to take the risk on Moss, who had his share of off-the-field problems. So they went to a more reliable Ellis, who has proven to be one of the most high-character players in recent years. While Ellis has not made the Pro Bowl, he has led the team in sacks in four of the last five years, including a career-high nine last season. DEFNSIVE TACKLES What's Here If the Cowboys stick with the 4-3 defense, they will arguably have one of the top defensive-tackle tandems in the NFL, with five-time Pro Bowler La'Roi Glover, coupled with newly-signed free agent Jason Ferguson.
The Cowboys added Ferguson, an eight-year veteran with the Jets, to clog up the defensive middle in either a 4-3 or 3-4 defense. And playing in New York, including three seasons under Parcells, Ferguson has played in both schemes and has said he is comfortable in either one. Now if the Cowboys switch to a 3-4, Glover's role would be in question, considering he has started the last five Pro Bowls playing in between the gaps at tackle. But the Cowboys did move Glover to end on occasion in 2002 in passing situations, and that would be similar to him moving outside to defensive end in a 3-4. The Cowboys also re-signed Leo Carson to a one-year deal, giving the club a formidable trio inside. The Cowboys also re-signed Willie Blade for the third time back in January, with the intent of sending him to NFL Europe. But Blade suffered a ruptured Achilles in NFLE training camp in Florida, not only keeping him out of Europe, but the injury will force him to miss the entire 2005 NFL season as well. Help On the Way? Acquiring sizable defensive tackles has turned into getting cornerbacks who can cover - you can rarely have enough. But the Cowboys already have Glover, Ferguson and Carson and considering this is one of the weaker positions in the draft, don't expect the Cowboys to add a tackle, at least in the early rounds. Now later in the draft is always a possibility, for any position, not just at tackle. But adding Ferguson in the off-season, and the team's strong needs at other positions point towards the Cowboys looking at other areas come next weekend. Cream of the Crop As mentioned earlier, this is not only one of the weakest defensive tackle classes in several years, but one of the weaker positions this year. The only projected first-round tackle is Florida State's Travis Johnson, who did visit the Cowboys last Thursday. Johnson (6-3, 290) is an athletic playmaker, but he has some injury and character issues, which has likely dropped his stock. But if teams need a solid player in the middle, one who could step right in and play, Johnson might be the best available. Other top tackles include Southern Cal's Mike Patterson, Wisconsin's Anttaj Hawthorne and Iowa's Jonathan Babineaux.
Remember When? Two years after the Cowboys traded Herschel Walker for a plethora of Minnesota's future draft picks, the brunt of the deal was felt in the 1991 draft when the Cowboys were able to move their way to the first pick in the draft. Although there was some talk the Cowboys wanted to draft Notre Dame speedster Rocket Ismail, who eventually went to the CFL, the Cowboys had their eyes on Russell Maryland, the playmaking defensive tackle out of Miami. Fla. Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson and most of the coaching staff came from Miami where they recruited and coached Maryland, a winner of the Outland Award in 1990. While Maryland never dominated the NFL, he was always a contributing factor in the Cowboys' solid defenses in the early 90's. He did make the Pro Bowl in 1993, but earned three Super Bowl rings during his five years in Dallas. He later played in Green Bay and Oakland, but ended signed a one-day contract in 2002, to officially retire from the NFL as a member of the Cowboys.
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