Help Desk
The Cowboys will likely be without both of their star pass-rushers this week. And while one veteran says "there's no way to replace" both Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, what exactly will be the play on Sunday?
FRISCO, Texas – No team in the NFL had both of their top pass-rushers make the Pro Bowl last season.
Yes, the defense has had its share of issues in the first four games, but at least they have a couple of pass-rushing bookends to lean on.
That is, until they don't.
And that is now facing the Cowboys, who are expecting to be without both Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence for at least this next game in Pittsburgh, and perhaps a couple of games due to injuries.
Lawrence, a four-time Pro Bowler, is dealing with a bigger issue than Parsons, who has a high-ankle sprain that could keep him out anywhere from one week to as much as a month.
For D-Law, a Lisfranc foot sprain will likely keep him out 6-8 weeks, giving the defense yet another crushing blow.
So, how do the Cowboys replace those two guys? Veteran cornerback Jourdan Lewis was rather blunt about the answer.
"You really can't replace them," Lewis said. "They're the motor of our defense. As contagious as they plan, we're going to have to find ways to supplement that because there's way you can replace it. We just have to ways to attack offenses without those guys, unfortunately."
Pass-rush – either one that is strong or one that is lacking – certainly affects other positions on the defense, even to the secondary. How long the corners and safeties must cover usually depends on the amount of pass rush generated, something that hasn't been a problem for this team, especially in the last three seasons since Parsons arrived.
But now, the Cowboys must figure out a different way.
Sure, Lewis said the team won't actually "replace" Lawrence and Parsons on the field, but there will be guys in their absence.
One of them is rookie Marshawn Kneeland, a second-round pick, who has been compared to Lawrence many times for their ability to stop the run and play with a non-stop motor. His time to shine has arrived,
"We know we got to step up for our boys," Kneeland said on Monday. "We know that seeing them go down, obviously none of us wanted that to happen, but we all just got to come together and play for each other."
Kneeland was talking generally about a group of players such as Chauncey Golston, Tyrus Wheat and Carl Lawson needing to raise their game, but when asked about his specific progress, he said the game is slowing down, which is obviously a good thing for a rookie just a month into the season.
"Yeah, I'm just getting a feel for the game. I feel like the past game, just being able to play a decent amount … it's starting to slow down a little bit. Being able to go out there, obviously watch them two and learn a good amount. But I'm understanding the speed and knowing what rushes I can use and when, because obviously we've got to all rush together as a D-line. If I go underneath, I can't have somebody else go underneath and then we lose contain and stuff like that."
Overall, the Cowboys are expecting Kneeland to step up, but as head coach Mike McCarthy said on Monday, many teams around the league are dealing with injuries such as this.
"This is what this league's all about. It takes a lot of players to win in this league week in and week out," McCarthy said about dealing with injuries. "So it creates a great opportunity for others and that's really our approach. Obviously we're going to have to make some roster adjustments. We're still kind of working through that."
The Cowboys will likely add a player from another practice squad to add some depth this week, but will probably rely on the in-house names such as Golston, Wheat and Lawson to play the end position this week.
