This is, undoubtedly, Isaac Alarcón's most important year in the NFL to date. The Dallas Cowboys offensive-lineman-turned-defensive tackle is facing the toughest challenge of his career and one of the most demanding tasks out of any player on the team.

He's changing sides of the ball to play a position he never had before while fighting for a spot on the 2023 Cowboys, be it on the 53-man roster or on the practice squad.

The good news for him is coaches know all about the Mexican player's drive. Since the moment he arrived as a prospect out of the league's International Player Pathway in 2020, Alarcón has made it clear he's a hard worker. 

So much so that, according to Alarcón earlier in the year, the version of events he knows about indicates it was defensive coordinator Dan Quinn himself who asked for his switch to defense.

"Last year I remember being told when I wasn't getting a lot of reps on offense that Dan Quinn was telling my OL coach 'If you don't want Isaac give him to me," Alarcón told reporters in May.

In that same media availability session, Alarcón revealed he was working as a three-technique. Evidently, that's a loaded position group that includes Osa Odighizuwa, Neville Gallimore, Chauncey Golston, and even this year's fourth-round draft pick, Viiliiami Fehoko.

It's the ultimate uphill battle for Alarcón, who's entering his fourth year with the Cowboys. But it's one that could still result in a shocking win. After all, consider the main reason why he's in the NFL in the first place: He's a freakish athlete at 6-foot-7 and 320 pounds (he's listed at 320 but indicated he's had to lose weight).

"(Alarcón) is extremely athletic. He's got great mobility, he's got great bend," Trench Warfare's coach Brandon Tucker told A to Z Sports in an interview earlier in the year. "He's very intelligent. And so I can tell him to do things one time and he does it. It's just how soon can he put it all together?"

It has to be soon. As opposed to the previous three years, Alarcón is no longer eligible for an international roster exemption, meaning he can't be carried on the practice squad as an extra player who doesn't count toward the 16-player limit.

If he's to remain a Cowboy in 2023, he'll have to earn a spot in the practice squad or on the roster.

Urgency, big competition, a change of position, and an entire country of passionate NFL fans behind him? Isaac Alarcón is the underdog you need to follow come training camp.

Cowboys: Coach explains why Isaac Alarcón can beat daunting odds

The Dallas Cowboys’ international player has received a uniquely challenging task from the team. But Isaac Alarcón can pull it off.

Featured image via Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports