The Cowboys have some of the best players in the trenches.
When it comes to football, it’s easy to get caught up in the flash of the skill positions like running back, wide receiver, or cornerback. However, games are won and lost on the line of scrimmage, and the Dallas Cowboys have some of the better players in the NFL on both sides of the ball in that area.
Per Gordon McGuinness of Pro Football Focus, the Cowboys have the best duos at edge rusher and offensive guard.
EDGE DEFENDER: Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, Dallas Cowboys
Competition is fierce here. One could make a strong case for either Myles Garrett and Za’Darius Smith of the Cleveland Browns, or T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith of the Pittsburgh Steelers to be in the top spot.
Parsons earned a 93.7 PFF pass-rushing grade in 2023, racking up 106 quarterback pressures from 532 pass-blocking snaps. Opposite him, Lawrence posted a 79.3 PFF pass-rushing grade and was a phenomenal run defender, trailing only Maxx Crosby in PFF run-defense grade (92.2).
Parsons is the Cowboys Swiss army knife defensively. He mostly played on the edge over the last two seasons, but he can also play linebacker and even float around on the third level from time to time. His ability to draw so much attention is what allows other guys to get one-on-one opportunities like former Cowboys Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler, who combined for 26 sacks over the previous two seasons.
As McGuinness mentioned, Lawrence is an absolute stud against the run. His ability to help the Cowboys out on early run downs sets up third and longs and gives players like Parsons the license to wreak havoc off the edge when it comes to getting after the quarterback. His huge sack days are behind him, but Lawrence has logged a pass-rush grade of at least 80.3 in three of the last four seasons, and he’s tallied 103 pressures over the two.
OFFENSIVE GUARD: Tyler Smith and Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys
Martin over the past two seasons hasn’t been at his previous level of earning 90.0-plus PFF grades, but he has still been one of the top pass-blockers at the position. His 75.1 PFF pass-blocking grade in 2023 ranked 10th after he allowed just 24 quarterback pressures from 655 pass-blocking snaps.
Left guard Tyler Smith is ascending, coming off a season in which he ranked eighth among guards in PFF run-blocking grade (80.7).
Martin may have taken a slight step back in the last two seasons, but he’s still been named an All-Pro in each. He’s the perfect example of being able to use not only power but technique to keep interior defensive lineman in check. Not only that, he’s incredibly disciplined with only 21 flags drawn in 10 seasons.
Smith played mostly left tackle as a rookie in 2022 and performed well despite some struggles, like drawing penalties. He still has to get that under control a bit, but now that he’s a full-time guard, Smith is showing his potential as a mauler in the run game with his size and strength, and his footwork as a pass blocker has steadily improved as well.
As long these four men can continue to be forces in the trenches, the Cowboys will have a chance to win any game they play in.