We're Nasty MF'ers!' Boasts Cowboys D-Line; Dallas Turn Weakness Into Strength?

"That D-line room is nasty," says Cowboys vet Johnathan Hankins. "We're working hard, getting each other better and we're some bad m******f******.'' ... That's what our motto is."

FRISCO - Did the Dallas Cowboys, with one subtle move and one loud one, suddenly transform a roster weakness into a "nasty'' strength?

Both here inside The Star and beyond, the easy and obvious criticism of the Cowboys roster has long been all about run-stopping. This bugaboo has existed for a while; remember the 2018 team's playoff loss at the Rams when L.A. racked up 273 rushing yards - a record for both franchises? And that concern, even three defensive coordinators later, has lingered on.

Dallas can block and run and catch and score. Dallas collects sacks and interceptions and wins. But far too often, especially at closing times in games, the Cowboys' run-stopping defense seems to be clinging to a thread ... sometimes the thread of the jersey of a running back who just bulled into the second level.

But now, coming off an offseason that features the first-round selection of defensive tackle Mazi Smith and the re-signing of defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins?

"That D-line room is nasty," said Hankins. "We're working hard, getting each other better and we're some bad m******f******.'' ... That's what our motto is."

Conventionally, we know "that D-line room's'' "nastiness'' is the result of the work of edge guys Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. But this feels like it is about an interior transformation as well.

The DallasCowboys.com account of Hankins' visit includes complimentary superlatives that compare Hankins' impact to "a meteor crashing into the Earth's crust'' and insist that Smith and Hankins combine to represent "a nuclear bomb at the disposal of Dan Quinn.''

Fun stuff. Can those things come true? We'll say this: There is pedigree and track record in the 6-2, 320-pound Hankins, a former second-round pick who at age 31 has been doing this for a decade, and Smith, who is 6-3 and 337 pounds and is a decade younger.

And we'll add: The Cowboys still didn't "prioritize'' when it comes to Hankins; they got a bargain by signing him to a one-year deal at around the vet's minimum $1 million. That means Hankins really wants to be here ... and not just to mouth the words.

"Every time I talk about it, I'm just so excited and not just to talk about it, but to be a part of it,'' Hankins said, adding, "It just feels good. It's nice to be around a team like this ... This team, for years to come, is gonna be something.''

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