Cowboys strengthen Dallas with experienced defensive players Linval Joseph and Jordan Phillips to overcome its Achilles heel

FRISCO, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys defense under Dan Quinn was dominant in pressuring the passer and taking the ball away during his three seasons as the team's defensive coordinator from 2021-2023 before he was poached as the Washington Commanders.

However, Quinn's units had a particular Achilles heel. A fatal flaw, if you will. That weakness was stopping the running game. In Quinn's three seasons, Dallas was a top-five scoring and third-down defense, while also being the best at quarterback pressure (41.4% QB pressure rate), intercepting the ball (59 interceptions), and forcing turnovers (93 takeaways). The Cowboys were slightly below average in the running game, allowing 118.2 rushing yards per game (17th in the NFL during that time period).

That weakness was evident in 2023, when Dallas ranked 16th in the league with 112.4 rushing yards per game. The Cowboys lost just six of their 18 games last year, including the postseason, and their run defense played a prominent role in four of those losses. They allowed 266 rushing yards to the Bills in Week 15 (a 31-10 loss), 222 rushing yards to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3 (28-16 loss), 170 rushing yards to the 49ers in Week 5 (42-10 loss), and 143 rushing yards to the seventh-seeded Packers in their 48-32 loss in the wild-card round of the playoffs (a game in which they trailed 27-0 and 48-16).

The good news for Cowboys fans is that new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer may have found a solution to the problem: He got owner and general manager Jerry Jones to reinforce the team's interior defensive line.

Cowboys defense under Dan Quinn since 2021

There wasn't much depth behind defensive tackle Mazi Smith (2023 first-round pick) and defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa (2021 third-round pick) for most of the offseason, but Zimmer persuaded Jones to change that. On August 15, the Cowboys traded a 2026 sixth-round pick to the New York Giants for 10-year-old defensive tackle Jordan Phillips (6'6″, 330 pounds) and a 2026 seventh-round pick. Six days later, on August 21, Dallas signed 14-year NFL veteran and former Zimmer student with the Minnesota Vikings Linval Joseph (6'4″, 320 pounds).

Their reinforcements could be just what is needed to elevate Dallas' mediocre run defense to an above-average level, thereby elevating the Cowboys' deadly pass rush, led by three-time All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons, to an even higher level.

“I think overall, it's going to make our lives easier when they penetrate like that,” Parsons said of Phillips and Joseph on Wednesday. “They force the quarterback to step back and get the rebound, which is going to be extremely important, especially on early downs. That's where a lot of sacks come from, on first and second down. Sacks on third down are a little bit common, but not too much, right. You catch them on play action, you catch them off guard, you just have to be right at the snap. Getting that early push, those guys, those big monsters there, I think is going to be a huge advantage. It kind of shows you what kind of guy Zimmer is. I haven't seen that kind of rebuild on the D-line since I've been here. I don't know if it's Zim or what. He's done it.”

“That's why we brought them in, to get more stops against the run defense,” cornerback Jourdan Lewis said Monday. “We make sure to get the first and second down. Those guys know exactly what to do in that regard. We bring in experienced guys to help the young guys and go out and fight and stop the run by going out and doing it.”

Jones himself admitted that Zimmer was the driving force behind the August 28 measures.

“Well, I will always say: If you have confidence and you have some experience, it's not about trusting somebody. It's just about understanding when they say 'wow' as opposed to when someone else says 'wow.' There can be two different degrees of that,” Jones said. “You have to know who is saying [it]. Well, hey, Zimmer, we know who says that, he has a recommendation so to speak. There's no question, these players that you see that played for him were heavily influenced by his assessment of how they could help us win.”

Joseph, a 35-year-old who won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants in 2011, would have liked to have signed earlier in the offseason, but a two-week adjustment period will do him good.

“The decision wasn't mine,” Joseph said of his late signing on Aug. 27. “There was a lot going on here and I'm just glad it all got done early in the season so I have a chance to have a couple of weeks before the season starts, get to know my teammates and get back to the game.”

He also admitted that Zimmer, his head coach during his six seasons with the Vikings from 2014-2019, was the driving force.

“I thought about it, but you never know what's going to happen,” Joseph said of joining the Cowboys after seeing they had hired Zimmer in the offseason. When I got the call, I thought, “OK, that kind of makes sense.” So I thought, [the idea]Yes. … [Zimmer] Plays a big role [in his signing]. I know Zimmer. I know this defense and I'm just happy to be part of this defense again. I played in this defense for six years and it really helped me develop my game.”

Zimmer isn't the only familiar face Joseph will be reunited with in Dallas. The Cowboys also signed 32-year-old Pro Bowl linebacker Eric Kendricks this offseason, a player who played his first eight seasons as a Viking from 2015-2022 before making a stop with the Chargers in 2023. Four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook also signed a one-year deal with the team on Aug. 29.

“Someone said they were sick of these guys from Minnesota, but that's obviously a joke,” Kendricks said on Aug. 29. “It's crazy. You never know how the league is going to end, but these guys have one thing in common: They have strong character. I trust them and I'm glad to have them.”

Kendricks raved about the impact Joseph will have on Smith, Odighizuwa and some of Dallas' other young defensive players both on and off the field.

“Linval is a great leader,” Kendricks said. “Very strong, just an animal. The strongest player I've ever played with. He's a freak. There's no other way to describe him. LeBron James, you know, freak athletes that we know and love, he's [Joseph] a freak. Period. I've seen him do crazy things.”

The physiques of Joseph and Phillips – both at least 6-foot-4 and over 300 pounds – are exactly what head coach Mike McCarthy values ​​in his interior defensive players.

“Well, the No. 1 body type and the experience since I got here, we've talked at length,” McCarthy said on Aug. 29. “Just the body type there and just look at those guys. I don't think I've ever seen our linebackers smile so much in running phases [in practice]. These guys bring a lot of experience. I think that will definitely help us. I also think it's great that they bring their experience into the locker room. You can see that in their personalities. So we're excited about the new additions.”

These additions, along with Smith’s Development after a disappointing rookie season McCarthy is confident that his inner defensive line will decisive season 2024.

“I really think when I look at Mazi during the offseason program, he did a good job as far as the football part goes,” McCarthy said Wednesday. “But he was in pure focus rehab [after offseason shoulder surgery]. He's gotten back to where he needs to be in training camp. I think he's done a good job with the weight. He's on a good path back. I just think once we started working with the pads, he's very, very comfortable with what we're asking of him. He's getting ready. He's ready to go.”