Cowboys preseason Week 2: Positional breakdown of where things stand for Dallas defense

With the majority of their starting defensive players sitting out the first two games of preseason, the Dallas Cowboys backups have performed admirably against both the starting offenses of the Jaguars and Seahawks, and their backups. But there are still some unanswered questions for the Cowboys on the defensive side of the ball.

Today, we are going to go position by position to take a look at where things currently stand for the Dallas Cowboys on defense. We do this to shine a little bit more light on which positions could be good to go heading into the 2023 season and which ones could stand to be upgraded. With roster cuts just around the corner, this could prove to be useful information.

Defensive tackle

Outside of Jonathan Hankins, Osa Odighzuwa, and Mazi Smith, who the Dallas Cowboys decide to keep around for depth purposes is very much up in the air. Chauncey Golston and Viliami Fehoko both have DE/DT versatility that could give them an edge over others. It could even come down to one of the two to round out the position.

Defensive end

The Cowboys have an embarrassing amount of riches at DE right now. In Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong, and Sam Williams they are a strong four deep. This might be the deepest group of pass rushers in the entire league. That's not even mentioning Dante Fowler, and the before mentioned Chauncey Golston and Viliami Fehoko.

Linebacker

DeMavarvion Overshown's season-ending knee injury is a pretty big blow to the Cowboys LB position behind starters Leighton Vander Esch and Damone Clark. The rookie LB was expected to play a prominent role in 2023, but now someone else will have to step up. The jury is still out on Jabril Cox, and Devin Harper shows promise. A vet may be needed.

Cornerback

The trio of Stephan Gilmore, Trevon Diggs, and DaRon Bland should be among the best CB trios in the entire league. They also have Jourdan Lewis in reserve if he can get healthy. The only question for this position is how many CBs the Cowboys keep and who? Kelvin Joseph, Nahshon Wright, and Eric Scott Jr. have all played well enough to keep around, but can they all stick and if not who goes?

Safety

Dallas suddenly has a logjam at safety. Jayron Kearse, Malik Hooker, and Donovan Wilson are the unquestioned starters, but who to keep behind them for depth purposes is going to be a tough decision to make for the Cowboys. Juanyeh Thomas, Israel Mukuamu, and Markquese Bell could be battling out for one spot unless Dallas decides to go deep at the position.