Looking for something positive amid the Dallas Cowboys’ 0-3 preseason start?
Look no further than the team’s markedly improved defense, fresh off an impressive showing Saturday in a 20-14 loss to the Houston Texans.
The Cowboys made huge investments in the off season to overhaul a defensive unit that set team records for points allowed and rushing yards allowed in 2020.
They hired Dan Quinn to replace the fired Mike Nolan and made 16 additions through the draft and free agency, led by first-round pick Micah Parsons.
It has the been the biggest offseason overhaul ever witnessed by veteran head coach Mike McCarthy. The results have been immediate.
This is not just about what the Cowboys did against a questionable Texans offense, which lacks playmakers and isn’t playing quarterback DeShaun Watson in hopes of moving him in a trade.
The Cowboys defense has been ahead of the offense since the beginning of training camp.
What they did against the Texans continued to show they are headed in the right direction.
Don’t let the final score fool you.
All of the Texans’ points came gift-wrapped from the Cowboys offense, which had four turnovers.
The Cowboys defense controlled what it could.
The Texans passed for just 139 yards and did not convert a third down, going 0-for-10.
A Cowboys defense that couldn’t stop the run a year ago limited the Texans to 89 yards on 23 carries.
“I think really the defense had a nice evening,” McCarthy said. “If you look at the way the game started, one of the emphasis we had coming out of the first two games was adversity defense. We had a situation after the turnover of our offense on the first series, we didn’t hold them there, but from that point on I thought our defense played really well. Specifically on third down, I don’t think they converted a single third down. So we’re getting off the field to give the offense a number of chances.”
Keep in mind that the Cowboys played the game without Quinn, the mad scientist in charge of coming with the new schemes.
He was put in COVID-19 protocols 90 minutes before the game.
Defensive tackle Carlos Watkins, one of the free-agent additions designed to plug the middle, was out for the same reason.
None of it mattered.
The foundation has been set.
The Cowboys are still without Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence; defensive tackle Neville Gallimore is out at least six weeks with a dislocated elbow.
But Parsons, the rookie linebacker from Penn State, is already showing flashes of superstar potential.
“He’s an impact player,” McCarthy said. “He’s about as fine of player, as far as putting hits on the ball. He’s so explosive. I love his tenacity. You can see he’s a very serious, focused individual, and he’s been a great addition to our football team. So, I love his approach.”
Parsons is the highest-graded run defender among all linebackers in the preseason, according to According to Pro Football Focus.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Parsons, who was all over the field against the Texans.
He starts at middle linebacker but will be used as a rush end, outside linebacker and inside blitzer.
Parsons can’t wait until the start of the regular season when he and the Cowboys defense can really show what they can do.
“I feel like the leash is still on, but we’re going to let it off soon,” Parsons said. “I’m kind of biting my tongue because I know what we’re capable of.”
Parsons is the centerpiece of a suddenly talented and deep linebacker corps that includes converted-safety Keanu Neal, veteran holdovers Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith and rookie Jabril Cox.
While Cowboys fans are in a tizzy over the reduced roles for Vander Esch and Smith, the Cowboys are pleased with their plan to use them all.
Neal and Parsons will start in the nickel defense. Vander Esch and Smith will play primarily on running downs.
Consider that Parsons played 18 snaps in first half against the Texans, Neal played 15. Vander Esch played 12 and Smith played 11.
“I’ve never had comfort like we have right now,” McCarthy said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been part of a linebacker group on anything I’ve been with, I’m not trying to disrespect, but to have that depth and that veteran experience from top to bottom and then to have the rookie class joining, it’s an outstanding group of linebackers.”
The Cowboys have also shown to be deep and versatile on the defensive line and in the secondary.
They still need playmakers like Parsons. But Lawrence should be ready for the season and defensive end Randy Gregory is primed to have a breakout campaign.
Rookie defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa will start up front until Gallimore returns and has already shown flashes of playmaking ability. He has gotten better and better as run defender and inside pass rusher.
“Osa’s being coming on really strong for the last 10 days,” McCarthy said. “So, he’s been very consistent with that.”
The Cowboys have a bevy of options at safety with Damontae Kazee, Donovan Wilson and Jayron Kearse, Malik Hooker. Kazee and Wilson will open the season as the starters but Hooker, a former first-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts who joined the Cowboys after the start of training camp, is coming on fast.