Linebacker

Cowboys Linebackers Interested in Jaylon Smith’s Knee

I’ve never bought into the idea that Dallas’ second-round rookie, linebacker Jaylon Smith, would play in 2016. His knee injury seemed far too serious to be worth the risk of trying to rush him onto the field. Still, there was a lingering hope that he might have a quick recovery and be able to contribute soon. ESPN’s Ed Werder all but smashed that hope with his report yesterday: No big deal, in my opinion.

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Written by: Jess Haynie

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Cowboys Sophomores: LB Mark Nzeocha

If Dallas Cowboys fans know one thing about Defensive Coordinator Rod Marinelli, it is that he specializes in taking unproven players with desirable traits and molding them into contributors to his defense. One player that fits this mold is second-year linebacker Mark Nzeocha, who’s rookie season was unfortunately cut down due to an injury suffered during his final collegiate season. The 2015 seventh round pick was forced to practically “red shirt” the season, only participating in the off season walkthroughs and the other mental aspects of the game. Now ready to contribute on the field this season, Nzeocha finds himself being thrown into the fire when it comes to competition at the linebacker position. The Cowboys are deep across the board here, with Sean Lee being the only true locked-in starter.

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Written by: Sean Martin

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Jaylon Smith: Battling The Uncontrollable

The Dallas Cowboys provided a jaw-dropping moment in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, when they decided to write linebacker Jaylon Smith’s name down on their draft card. Why in the world would they draft a linebacker so highly when there’s a chance he may have to sit out the entire 2016 season? Well, Smith’s selection is based more on his future potential and that he can fully recover from a devastating knee injury that also caused nerve damage. If he can fully recover and become the player he was at Notre Dame, then the Cowboys would’ve drafted a player that is arguably the best defensive player in the entire 2016 NFL Draft. Can you say draft day steal?

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Written by: Brian Martin

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Darren McFadden Injured: 3 Surprising Cowboys That Could Benefit

I used to be a huge fan of the popular TV show Grey’s Anatomy. I say used to because I no longer am. At its peak the show had some insane drama that sucked me in. This was pre-DVR so I watched this bad boy live. Ultimately I gave up on it, like most of the show’s iconic actors coincidentally, because it became too unreal.

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Written by: RJ Ochoa

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Cowboys Mini-Camp: Will Rolando McClain and Ronald Leary Report?

Plenty of players haven’t been practicing with the Cowboys over the last few weeks.  Sean Lee, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dez Bryant, and others have been nursing lingering injuries and recovering from offseason procedures. However, two players have been away for other reasons; linebacker Rolando McClain and guard Ronald Leary. Starting today, the Cowboys’ practices go from voluntary to mandatory. Per Mike Florio at ProFootballTalk, players who miss this three-day mini-camp are subject to a total fine of $76,580 if they miss the entire camp.

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Written by: Jess Haynie

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Cowboys Sophomores: LB Damien Wilson

It is no secret that the defensive unit for the Dallas Cowboys will be looking for play makers wherever they may come from in 2016. While Cowboys Nation will focus on the offense when it comes to replicating the winning ways of 2014 with rookie Ezekiel Elliott joining the established Tony Romo and Dez Bryant, the defense from that dominant season forced 31 turnovers – good for the second highest total in the league. This “Cowboys Sophomores” series has already profiled a few young defenders that could help Dallas in this regard, such as pass rusher Ryan Russell and hybrid safety Byron Jones.  Another player that hopes to add his name to this mix is linebacker Damien Wilson, who was selected in the fourth round by the Cowboys in the 2015 Draft. When it comes to Defensive Coordinator Rod Marinelli, you can never have enough depth along the front-seven of your defense.

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Written by: Sean Martin

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Rolando McClain’s Absence Opens The Door At MLB For Andrew Gachkar

The organized team activities (OTAs) portion of the NFL Offseason is one where things can get silly sometimes. It’s a point in time where everybody looks good, so and so is better than ever, and there is hope within 32 different buildings across the National Football League. While OTAs are technically optional, they’re really not. Anybody who is a competitor and a point of stability on his team is present for them. Obviously there are rare exceptions, but typically if you’re absent from OTAs it means that you’re not 100% committed.

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Written by: RJ Ochoa

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Cowboys Linebacker Conundrum: Who’s In, and Who’s Out?

The Cowboys made the switch to the base 4-3 defense after their 2012 campaign produced a mild 8-8 record. Since the change in 2013, the team has only carried 6-7 linebackers on their opening day roster. As it stands right now, the team has 11 linebackers on the roster. That number may vary slightly as we near training camp, but because our base defense requires three stand up linebackers, I can’t imagine it to drop much before cuts to 75. This presents a relatively interesting situation to our personnel department as they’re going to have to figure out who makes the cut.

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Written by: The Landry Trophy

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Is Rolando McClain Key To Cowboys Defensive Success?

There are a lot of questions surrounding the Dallas Cowboys defense for the upcoming 2016. Who will be the starting defensive ends with Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence missing the first four games due to violating the substance abuse policy? How will the cornerback situation shake itself out? Who will be the starting outside linebacker? These are just a few questions that surround the Cowboys defense that should answer themselves once the off-season practices really start getting underway.

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Written by: Brian Martin

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LEEdership: 2016 Is To Jaylon Smith What 2014 Was To Sean Lee

It was just over two years ago that you were sitting at work, home, or scrolling along Twitter when your heart was blown to smithereens. Sean Lee, the stud linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys, had torn his ACL. On the first day of OTAs. While being mauled by the team’s most recent 1st Round selection, Zack Martin. Ugh.

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Written by: RJ Ochoa

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