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The Cowboys must’ve really been impressed with the opposition when they got their lunch handed to them last December. On December 17, Dallas sent their representatives up north to Buffalo for a cool, rainy road trip riding a five-game winning streak, boasting a 10-3 record. In all honesty, the 31-10 shellacking they took at the hands of the Bills was the start of the unraveling of their promising season.
A close, 22-20 loss to Miami the following week made it a losing streak and they escaped by the skin of their teeth at home against Detroit in the now infamous, OL substitution foot shooting by Dan Campbell. Dallas’ lessened ceiling wasn’t masked in a blowout road finale against inept Washington, and the Green Bay Packers marched into AT&T Stadium and jigsawed the Cowboys hopes and dreams in front of the world.
That was the final shot, but the loss to Buffalo was the beginning of the end. And if the two of the three recent DL additions are any indication, that had a profound impact on the way the front office wanted to put the puzzle pieces together for 2024. On Wednesday, Dallas acquired a second Bills defensive lineman from that day, inking free agent Linval Joseph.
“Breaking: I’m told the #Cowboys are signing DT Linval Joseph, per source. – Josina Anderson
Dallas will have recently acquired two veteran interior defenders to rotate with 3T Osa Odighizuwa, and 1T Mazi Smith.
Last week, Dallas traded for Jordan Phillips, who had signed with the New York Giants this offseason after being with the Bills for the previous two campaigns.
Phillips, 6-foot-6, 349 pounds, is the bigger of the linemen, but he’s primarily been a 3T his entire career who also is a run stuffer. Joseph is a former second-round pick of the Giants… from 2010. He’s going to enter his 15th season in the league and will be the Cowboys’ second oldest player at 35, four days younger than punter Bryan Anger.
Joseph played for Mike Zimmer in Minnesota from 2014 through 2019, and has also spent time in LA with the Chargers (2 seasons) and Philadelphia (one season) before landing in Buffalo last season.
He played in seven games and had 12 tackles and one sack.
Zimmer must be reminiscing somewhat about the days of old when he had the No. 1 defense in yards and points with Joseph making the Pro Bowl.
Joseph will rotate with Smith, and possibly could see starter snaps as the first-round pick from 2023 continues to try to acclimate himself to the league and the rigors of the NFL. It hasn’t been a smooth beginning for Smith, who has made progress from last season and has likely changed targets for what would be considered short-term success in his second season.
Smith played behind another elder statesman, Johnathan Hankins, last season. Hankins was allowed to leave the club and signed with the Seattle Seahawks in free agency.
Zimmer will now be able to deploy a rotation of three functional 320-to-340 pound interior defenders, along with Odighizuwa at 285 pounds as the pass-rush specialist. It gives him numerous intriguing possibilities along with defensive ends DeMarcus Lawrence, Marshawn Kneeland and Chauncey Golston who can rotate inside as well.
Combined with the chess piece of Micah Parsons and what might be the league’s deepest secondary, things could quickly come together.