FRISCO, Texas — On defense, many times it is the defensive ends that receive most of the credit in the defensive line with pressure on opposing quarterbacks. In a lot of ways it is credited and earned. For the Dallas Cowboys, the interior is often overlooked with DeMarcus Lawrence, aka ‘The Tank’ off the left edge harassing QB’s. The power edge rushers generally rack up the most sacks, with the nose and under tackle positions in Dallas’ 4-3 often being the unsung heroes so to speak.
A majority of the team’s penetration comes from the interior with under tackle, Maliek Collins, and Antwaun Woods at nose tackle. Woods has missed practice this past week in preparation for the Saints and has been ruled out of Sunday’s NFC matchup. Dallas is in good standing with first-year Cowboys Christian Covington and Kerry Hyder.
Covington filled in for Woods at nose last week against the Dolphins and left the game due to a calf stinger. The coaching staff then moved some players around to give Trysten Hill a break in his season debut. Collins was moved to nose and Kerry Hyder came in under tackle, lining up opposite the offensive guard to the split-end side.
Both kept their shoulders square and won the battle at the line of scrimmage against the Dolphins’ o-line, making it difficult for Josh Rosen to get the ball off and for Miami to get the ground game rolling. Collins and Hyder provided consistent pressure up the middle and each tallied a half sack (0.5). The defensive unit as a whole held the Dolphins without a touchdown; the first time the team has held an opponent to no points since the 2017 season at Philadelphia. Collins recorded eight quarterback pressures against Miami and Hyder amassed six. The defense accumulated a season-high 24 pressures against the Dolphins according to coach’s film.
I spoke with defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli on Hyder and he raved,“ The guy, his position flexibility-off the charts. In this game he played left end, right end, under tackle, and nose tackle. [He also] plays on special teams. Guys like that are so important as the season goes on. “
The defensive line has their work cut out for them on Sunday with Saints’ weapons Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara. Kamara can line up in a variety of positions and is extremely difficult to get down with the ball in his hands. Thomas is dangerous working the middle of the field with his solid route execution/finish. In addition, New Orleans is effective in screen passes and utilizes them in multiple ways in the offensive playbook. It is imperative for Dallas’ defense to tackle well and read keys correctly on Sunday evening. The game depends on it.
