The Dallas Cowboys have plenty of big and recognizable names on the roster. Particularly on the defensive side of the ball, where Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs lead the way.

Dallas added former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore to that equation this offseason. Furthermore, DeMarcus Lawrence is a well-known and established commodity up front.

In OTAs and mini camp, the Cowboys are seeing other players step up and emerge for potential significant roles when the 2023 NFL season begins. That includes one defender that has been overlooked with the recent additions.

Jabril Cox was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth-round of out of LSU in 2021. It's been a slow start to his professional career thanks to the injury bug. But he looks primed to finally fully showcase his abilities.

Cox really caught attention this week when he made a pair of plays that had his teammates excited. He made back-to-back pass breakups to prevent a scoring drive, showcasing some playmaking ability in the process.

The final drive of the first #Cowboys minicamp practice was owned by:

Jabril Cox.

He had two consecutive PBUs to prevent TDs in the red zone. ?

He was then swarmed by his teammates in celebration (the plays were that good, yes).

— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) June 6, 2023

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has taken notice of Cox and his development. This next season will be Cox's second year post-surgery, and that is very promising in the eyes of McCarthy.

"He’s had a really good offseason program. And obviously there’s more competition there too," McCarthy said. "Major joint injuries take time. I think you see it each year. They never really totally come back clean immediately. It’s usually the second year where they really feel back to normal.”

With Micah Parsons transitioning to an edge rusher even more, the Cowboys could use another linebacker stepping up next to Leighton Vander Esch for defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Jabril Cox looks like he is up for that challenge.

Featured image via USA TODAY Sports