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Roster Rundown
Better Late Than Never For Brent
Nick Eatman
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
(Editor's Note: Throughout the offseason, DallasCowboys.com staff writers will take a closer look at the roster, analyzing each player's impact last season and how he fits into the team's 2011 plans. Today's featured player is defensive tackle Josh Brent.)
Name: Josh Brent
Position: Defensive Tackle
Height/Weight: 6-2/315
Experience: One season
College: Illinois
Key stat: Nose tackles typically don't generate a lot of stats, and Brent isn't an exception here, registering just 17 tackles - good for 17th on the defense. But the key number for Brent is actually 16 - the amount of games he played in 2010. That's quite a feat for a rookie seventh-round pick, especially one that arrived a week before camp and then missed time with a broken hand.
Contract Status: Signed through 2013.
2010 Impact: It's hard to see that a guy who averaged just over one tackle per game, and didn't have a sack or a tackle for loss all year long, could make a difference. But Josh Brent did have a big impact on the defense last season and his role should expand even more in 2011. Brent was a seventh-round pick in the 2010 Supplemental Draft, meaning the Cowboys will forfeit their seventh-round selection in the upcoming April draft. But they will gladly accept that trade, considering the performance Brent displayed last year, without even a full offseason. Now who knows if Brent, or any player, will get that this year with the pending CBA situation? However, Brent showed right away that he is NFL ready, mainly because of his strength. He was a fixture on the team's goal-line and short-yardage defenses and was able to spell Jay Ratliff at times, something the Cowboys couldn't afford to do in previous years.
Where He Fits: Brent should fit right into the middle of the Cowboys' 3-4 defense. There is even some talk that Jay Ratliff could move out to end, but the team has never announced such a plan. To do that, they would need a quality replacement at tackle and that could be a lot of pressure to place on Brent. He did flash a lot of really good qualities last season, mainly with his brute strength. If he winds up starting or continues to be a role player, Brent will have a healthy role on this defense, particularly against the run.
Writers' Analysis:
Rob Phillips: The Cowboys made a tough call in training camp, keeping Brent as the backup nose tackle instead of veteran Junior Siavii. Good call, because he is emerging as a young player with starting potential, and the team needs more of them. Considering Brent didn't even join the team until a week before training camp after the supplemental draft and had a broken hand early in the preseason, he caught up quickly and became a nice stopgap for a handful of plays each game. He's powerful, plays with good leverage and might become more versatile on the line if Rob Ryan uses more of a two-gap scheme.
Nick Eatman: The Cowboys have to be excited about the potential in Brent, who was a late-addition to the team last year but was one of the most consistent young players on the squad. The best thing I've heard about Brent comes from veteran teammates such as Jay Ratliff, DeMarcus Ware and Montrae Holland. All of them praised Brent for being such a professional about his business, acting "like he's a five-year vet" although he was a late-arriving rookie. If he applies that work ethic to the weight room and some form of offseason conditioning program, the Cowboys figure to have a nice, young player who could be a force in the middle.
Better Late Than Never For Brent
Nick Eatman
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
(Editor's Note: Throughout the offseason, DallasCowboys.com staff writers will take a closer look at the roster, analyzing each player's impact last season and how he fits into the team's 2011 plans. Today's featured player is defensive tackle Josh Brent.)
Name: Josh Brent
Position: Defensive Tackle
Height/Weight: 6-2/315
Experience: One season
College: Illinois
Key stat: Nose tackles typically don't generate a lot of stats, and Brent isn't an exception here, registering just 17 tackles - good for 17th on the defense. But the key number for Brent is actually 16 - the amount of games he played in 2010. That's quite a feat for a rookie seventh-round pick, especially one that arrived a week before camp and then missed time with a broken hand.
Contract Status: Signed through 2013.
2010 Impact: It's hard to see that a guy who averaged just over one tackle per game, and didn't have a sack or a tackle for loss all year long, could make a difference. But Josh Brent did have a big impact on the defense last season and his role should expand even more in 2011. Brent was a seventh-round pick in the 2010 Supplemental Draft, meaning the Cowboys will forfeit their seventh-round selection in the upcoming April draft. But they will gladly accept that trade, considering the performance Brent displayed last year, without even a full offseason. Now who knows if Brent, or any player, will get that this year with the pending CBA situation? However, Brent showed right away that he is NFL ready, mainly because of his strength. He was a fixture on the team's goal-line and short-yardage defenses and was able to spell Jay Ratliff at times, something the Cowboys couldn't afford to do in previous years.
Where He Fits: Brent should fit right into the middle of the Cowboys' 3-4 defense. There is even some talk that Jay Ratliff could move out to end, but the team has never announced such a plan. To do that, they would need a quality replacement at tackle and that could be a lot of pressure to place on Brent. He did flash a lot of really good qualities last season, mainly with his brute strength. If he winds up starting or continues to be a role player, Brent will have a healthy role on this defense, particularly against the run.
Writers' Analysis:
Rob Phillips: The Cowboys made a tough call in training camp, keeping Brent as the backup nose tackle instead of veteran Junior Siavii. Good call, because he is emerging as a young player with starting potential, and the team needs more of them. Considering Brent didn't even join the team until a week before training camp after the supplemental draft and had a broken hand early in the preseason, he caught up quickly and became a nice stopgap for a handful of plays each game. He's powerful, plays with good leverage and might become more versatile on the line if Rob Ryan uses more of a two-gap scheme.
Nick Eatman: The Cowboys have to be excited about the potential in Brent, who was a late-addition to the team last year but was one of the most consistent young players on the squad. The best thing I've heard about Brent comes from veteran teammates such as Jay Ratliff, DeMarcus Ware and Montrae Holland. All of them praised Brent for being such a professional about his business, acting "like he's a five-year vet" although he was a late-arriving rookie. If he applies that work ethic to the weight room and some form of offseason conditioning program, the Cowboys figure to have a nice, young player who could be a force in the middle.