![]() ![]() Still, having too many competent, hungry players at one position is a good problem to have for any roster. If one or both shine in coverage, it’s going to take two of those big three off the field that much more. Then, Cox fell in the Cowboys’ lap on day three of the draft to give them a player that can fill that role long-term. A former safety, Neal, is transitioning to a coverage linebacker role that Quinn wants to incorporate. Speaking of passing downs, that is likely where Neal and Cox will make their presence felt in 2021. Once again, Parsons and Smith could help rushing the quarterback off the edge, but it’s not going to be a strength for either.īoth are much more likely to get after the quarterback blitzing from the second level, and that means they have to line up at one of those two linebacker positions. Still, with offenses lining up predominantly in passing formations in this era, the Cowboys are likely to have two linebackers on the field at a time. Both did that occasionally at the collegiate level, but it’s certainly not where they fit best. That’s not to say Parsons or Smith can’t play the strong-side linebacker spot that often lines up on the edge or flexed out between a slot and the end man. The Cowboys should have three linebackers on the field in their base packages, but assuming that defense looks like what Quinn has run in Atlanta and Seattle, one of these three will be out of position. It will be a task for Quinn to get this trio enough time to give each a fighting chance to satisfy the lofty expectations that have come with their price tags. How do Parsons, LVE and Smith fit together? The Cowboys could have moved on from Smith this past spring, and while they didn’t, the drafting of Parsons left most fans scratching their head about how Dallas plans to implement all three of their high-profile linebackers. To be fair, I’m not sure any player on the Dallas defense has lived up to expectations over the last two years, with the scheme and defensive play-callers deserving a healthy bit of the criticism. Still, the knock on Smith has been his inability to live up to the expectations that came with the five-year extension he signed in 2019. The sixth-year linebacker still has four more years on his contract after this season, but the Cowboys could choose to move on after this season, with the remaining guaranteed money being all that’s left to pay. Smith is also on the proverbial hot seat, considering his contract only has $6.8M in guaranteed money on it following this season. Still, when healthy, Vander Esch is a proven commodity in this league and should be in for a strong showing in 2021. After Dallas declined the fifth-year option on Vander Esch’s deal, the former-Pro Bowler finds himself in a contract year hoping to earn a big extension. Parsons is as talented as he is versatile, a big reason why Dallas selected in with the 12th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. ![]() ![]() Cowboys fans are likely to see new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn rotate all five players based on different packages. Thanks to these five, the linebacker position will be one of the most intriguing positions on the roster this year. Credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images Dallas Cowboys Roster Breakdown: Linebackers The Locks | Dallas Cowboys Roster Micah Parsons, Leighton Vander Esch, Jaylon Smith, Keanu Neal, Jabril Cox With that being said, let’s take a look at the linebackers vying to make the 53-man Dallas Cowboys roster this year. In addition, America’s Team will be doing this in front of the entire world, since they were chosen as the featured team on HBO’s Hard Knocks. They also drafted 11 players, meaning there will be a ton of competition for the final roster. Dallas had a lot of injuries a year ago, forcing a number of young players and reserves to step into more prominent roles. Do not duplicate in any form without permission of the Dallas Cowboys.With training camp underway, it’s a good time to start breaking down the Dallas Cowboys roster position by position to see what this 2021 bunch will look like and which players are competing to make the team. ![]()
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