Dallas Cowboys Draft: Is EDGE a Day 2 Concern?
The Dallas Cowboys are counting on DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory to lead the charge against opposing quarterbacks in 2021. However, as Aldon Smith seemingly gets ready to play elsewhere, the Cowboys must start thinking about the lack of depth they have at edge rusher. Although it's not a top need heading into the NFL […]
The Dallas Cowboys are counting on DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory to lead the charge against opposing quarterbacks in 2021. However, as Aldon Smith seemingly gets ready to play elsewhere, the Cowboys must start thinking about the lack of depth they have at edge rusher. Although it's not a top need heading into the NFL Draft, it's a position they should keep an eye out for in Day 2.
Despite ending the season with relatively low production, Lawrence has kept his level of play up. According to Pro Football Focus, he finished the 2020 season as the fourth-best edge rusher in the league.
Meanwhile, despite getting little playing time, Randy Gregory got 3.5 sacks on the season while displaying flashes of his talents every time he got on the field. The problem, however, was that he played in only 25% of the defensive snaps.
Although they stayed away from big names, the Cowboys added a few free agents to upgrade the defensive line's depth. Defensive End Tarrell Basham from the New York Jets has some promise as a pass rusher having five sacks in the past two seasons. Plus, the Cowboys currently count with Dorance Armstrong, Bradlee Anae, and Ron'Dell Carter.
While some of them could develop into key rotational players, they're all unproven as of today. The truth is beyond the two projected starters, Dan Quinn will not enjoy the benefit of a deep defensive end room.
With three total picks on Day 2 of the Draft, the Cowboys will have plenty of chances at upgrading their defense significantly. It'll even give the Cowboys plenty of room to trade up if they wish to. And chances are, they might consider taking an edge rusher at some point.
According to Dane Brugler's Draft Guide, there should be some interesting names on the board in the second and third rounds. In fact, has three edge rusher prospects with second-round grades, two with 2nd-3rd grades, and another five with at least a third-round grade.
Although other needs might nude the Dallas Cowboys in other directions, they shouldn't overlook their quiet need for edge rushers. Considering Randy Gregory will be a restricted free agent in 2022, they shouldn't be concerned about who'll be starting in the next couple of years, but they need to worry about who will be behind them.
