Stopping the run has been a problem for the Dallas Cowboys over what we will refer to as this little “run” that they are on. To be clear, the run in question is the three consecutive playoff seasons. The 2021-2023 seasons were ended by the San Francisco 49ers twice before the Green Bay Packers added their name to the list. There is a Wild Card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tom Brady’s last-ever game also included.
In the first two playoff losses the Cowboys were mostly bounced because of their inability to defend the run. In the latter they were bounced because of pretty much everything possible. Needless to say that stopping opposing teams on the ground when it matters most has been an issue for this group.
Jerry Jones believes the Cowboys defense is already better against the run
Over the stretch of the 2022 regular season it became clear that linebacker Leighton Vander Esch was one of the more critical pieces on the team when it came to defending the run. While he was out Dan Quinn’s group struggled mightily, although his return didn’t prove to be the total answer.
But Vander Esch is now officially retired while Quinn is off with the Washington Commanders, poaching people he worked with while in Dallas every other second. The Cowboys have brought in one external free agent so far in Eric Kendricks and he theoretically replaces Vander Esch, but they have lost notable names in this realm like Johnathan Hankins as one example.
Nevertheless, Jerry believes that they are better off than when we last saw them.
