New York Giants Week 4: Scouting the Dallas Cowboys Defense

Brandon Olsen breaks down the personnel, scheme, and nuances of the Dallas Cowboys defense ahead of their Thursday night game against the New York Giants.

Sep 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) looks on prior to the game against the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium. / Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

The New York Giants offense finally found some big plays and put points on the board against the Cleveland Browns. What will this offense face now facing a rival in the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football?

Personnel

The star of the Dallas Cowboys has been and will continue to be edge rusher Micah Parsons, who has 18 pressures so far through the first three games. However, Parsons picked up 11 of his pressures against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, but hasn’t had as many pass-rushing opportunities since then.

Opposite of Parsons is still primarily DeMarcus Lawrence that at this point in his career is better suited as an early down edge that is relatively ineffective as a pass-rusher.

Marshawn Kneeland, the Cowboys’ second-round pick this April, has emerged as a potential answer there as a pass-rusher despite his lack of presence as a run defender.

On the interior of the defensive line, Mazi Smith and Linval Joseph handle the nose tackle position, and Osa Odighizuwa plays the 3-technique.

All of those players have struggled to make a significant and balanced impact through the first three games of the season.

Odighizuwa has provided some help as an interior pass-rusher with seven pressures, the same amount as Lawrence.

The second-level is led by veteran Eric Kendricks and 2023 third-round pick DeMarvion Overshown, who missed his rookie year with a torn ACL.

They both play their part in the defense. Kendricks is a better run defender and leader of the defense, but Overshown has explosive pass-rushing ability and underrated coverage ability.

Trevon Diggs and Caelen Carson are the starting outside cornerbacks with veteran Jourdan Lewis in the nickel.

Diggs missed the majority of the 2023 season with a torn ACL a year ago and is still finding his footing in his return to the field. 

Carson was the Cowboys’ fifth-round pick this past April out of Wake Forest. So far this year when targeting Carson, opposing quarterbacks have completed 10 of 15 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown with a 119.6 passer rating.

Lewis has provided clamps out of the slot so far this year, popping out as a bright spot on a defense that has struggled to find its footing consistently.

Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker are manning the safety room as iron men right now playing all but a handful of snaps so far this season.

I was left relatively unimpressed when watching the duo. They have the physical tools to be great but they’ve yet to pop on the tape as big-time players in 2024.

Jul 30, 2024; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer during training camp at the River Ridge Playing Fields in Oxnard, California. / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

Scheme

This is Mike Zimmer’s first year as the Cowboys' defensive coordinator, and he’s doing some things that are pure Zimmer.

This defense operates almost exclusively out of nickel due to the room's versatility.

Parsons, Wilson, and Hooker are all given the ability to line up at different positions and different levels of the defense to attack opposing offenses.

While not a blitz-happy defense by any stretch of the word, it’s not an uncommon thing for them with a 26.7% blitz rate this season.

When they blitz, the Cowboys most commonly use an off-ball linebacker rather than a member of the secondary. This also allows them to line Micah Parsons up off the ball and blitz from the second level.

Zones will be a heavy focal point coverage-wise to allow the athletic ballhawks to try to make a play on the ball. While interceptions haven’t come frequently yet for Dallas, that’s not to say this isn’t a team capable of making those plays.

Cover 3, Cover 4, and Cover 1 have been the most commonly called coverages so far this season and there’s no reason to expect anything different this week.

Considering how the Giants passing attack has been inconsistent so far this year, the Cowboys could give more single-high coverage looks to try and dare Daniel Jones to throw more.

Overview

The Cowboys play almost exclusively out of nickel and the Giants use 12 personnel on 30% of their offensive snaps.

That number should climb on Thursday night. If a defense wants to come out with a light personnel grouping, the Giants should come out with two tight end sets and run the ball early and often.

The issue with facing the Cowboys is that when an offense becomes one-dimensional against them, it’s incredibly difficult to overcome what they can do with their rushers.

Winning early downs and forcing the Cowboys to remain balanced will go a long way in pulling off an upset in what will likely be an ugly game.

It’s also important to remember that while both of these teams played just a few days ago, the Cowboys faced a physical Ravens team and they’re more likely to still be feeling those effects.

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