3 Dallas Cowboys who could be absolutely pivotal in 2020❗

Gerald McCoy, DT This offseason the Dallas Cowboys signed two interior defensive linemen. Both are former first round picks and both are expected to be starters in 2020. But that’s where the similarities end. Even with the coaching change from Rod Marinelli to Mike Nolan, we still expect the 1-tech DT to serve a similar role as before. Dontari Poe was brought in to be the stout presence at 1-tech. While he’ll have some attack responsibilities he’ll likely serve more of a 2-gap role where he can support and enable pass-rushers like McCoy and DeMarcus Lawrence. Gerald McCoy is pivotal for two major reasons: The position he plays. The lack of depth behind him. As the 3-technique defensive tackle, McCoy serves a pretty important purpose. He’s responsible for applying interior pressure and creating havoc at and behind the line of scrimmage. Interior pressure is traditionally the most disruptive pressure. And with the revamped and unproven secondary this season, pressure will be critical to the defenses success. I shouldn’t have to sell Cowboys fans on the importance of the 3-tech, though. By now we know how important the position is. What I do want to point out is the shallow depth chart behind McCoy. While we hope rookie third rounder Neville Gallimore is up to the task, he’s completely unproven. DTs take time to develop and we’ve seen the Dallas Cowboys top draft pick in 2019 fall on his face in his first pro season.