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Peeking Inside
Nick Eatman
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Sean Lee had a promising rookie season but did miss nearly three full games because of two injuries.
IRVING, Texas - Teams that hold a Top-10 draft pick usually have a healthy amount of needs.
The Cowboys, despite being a year removed from an NFC East title and a playoff victory, dipped to 6-10 last season, lost their head coach and defensive coordinator along the way, and are now starting over once again.
This team has plenty of needs and in the middle of draft season, they all get documented. For the most part, the most glaring holes have been at safety, offensive line and defensive end.
Maybe it's time to throw inside linebacker into the mix as well.
Usually, the biggest needs revolve around positions that can be filled immediately. The Cowboys could use a new safety (maybe two) right now. There are probably two or three positions on the line that will be changed out this year and expect a new defensive end in this 3-4 scheme, too.
But at inside linebacker, it's not a spot that could get changed this season. However, it probably won't be too far down the road before we see new starters in the middle. With that in mind, maybe inside linebacker shouldn't be overlooked when talking about needs.
The contracts for both Bradie James and Keith Brooking expire after the 2011 campaign. While James' 30th birthday was this past January, Brooking will turn 36 in the middle of next season.
But really, finding long-term replacements here isn't a new concept for the Cowboys, who have actually taken an inside linebacker in the first three rounds in each of the last two drafts. Unfortunately for them, neither of them has been a starter and only one of them still remains on the squad.
Jason Williams, the team's first pick (69th overall) of the 2009 draft, never developed like the Cowboys had hoped. He was active for just six games as a rookie and even struggled to consistently perform on special teams. Williams was cut in the middle of his second season and is now in Carolina.
As for Sean Lee, a second-round pick from Penn State last year, he was pegged as a talented player with injury concerns. So far, that's pretty much what the Cowboys have in Lee, who did flash some potential but also had his share of nagging injuries that limited him in both games and practices.
While the Cowboys are hoping and expecting Lee to take over for one of the two inside spots, only time will tell if he's firmly up to the challenge.
And while James is entering the final year of his deal, he's not exactly showing signs of wearing down. Before him, no player in Cowboys history had led the team in tackles for more than three consecutive years. This past season, James had a team-high 162 stops, marking the fifth straight time he's led the defense.
However, he did play through a bothersome knee injury for the second half of the season, which forced him to miss every Wednesday practice and sometimes Thursday and Friday as well. James didn't miss a beat on Sundays, though, playing and starting in all 16 games for the sixth straight season. In fact, in eight years, James has never missed a game due to injury.
Still, with James into his 30s now, alongside an even more aging Brooking, Lee often injured, and only Kenwin Cummings behind them in the middle, the Cowboys should at least be looking at other options.
With free agency unknown at the moment, that leaves the draft and it's not a very deep class of inside 'backers, especially for the Cowboys to take in the first round.
Some of the top ILBs include Oregon's Casey Matthews and Illinois' Martez Wilson. North Carolina's Quan Sturdivant, Kelvin Sheppard of LSU and Michigan State's Greg Jones are also solid inside linebackers who could be available in the second and third-round range.
Nick Eatman
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Sean Lee had a promising rookie season but did miss nearly three full games because of two injuries.
IRVING, Texas - Teams that hold a Top-10 draft pick usually have a healthy amount of needs.
The Cowboys, despite being a year removed from an NFC East title and a playoff victory, dipped to 6-10 last season, lost their head coach and defensive coordinator along the way, and are now starting over once again.
This team has plenty of needs and in the middle of draft season, they all get documented. For the most part, the most glaring holes have been at safety, offensive line and defensive end.
Maybe it's time to throw inside linebacker into the mix as well.
Usually, the biggest needs revolve around positions that can be filled immediately. The Cowboys could use a new safety (maybe two) right now. There are probably two or three positions on the line that will be changed out this year and expect a new defensive end in this 3-4 scheme, too.
But at inside linebacker, it's not a spot that could get changed this season. However, it probably won't be too far down the road before we see new starters in the middle. With that in mind, maybe inside linebacker shouldn't be overlooked when talking about needs.
The contracts for both Bradie James and Keith Brooking expire after the 2011 campaign. While James' 30th birthday was this past January, Brooking will turn 36 in the middle of next season.
But really, finding long-term replacements here isn't a new concept for the Cowboys, who have actually taken an inside linebacker in the first three rounds in each of the last two drafts. Unfortunately for them, neither of them has been a starter and only one of them still remains on the squad.
Jason Williams, the team's first pick (69th overall) of the 2009 draft, never developed like the Cowboys had hoped. He was active for just six games as a rookie and even struggled to consistently perform on special teams. Williams was cut in the middle of his second season and is now in Carolina.
As for Sean Lee, a second-round pick from Penn State last year, he was pegged as a talented player with injury concerns. So far, that's pretty much what the Cowboys have in Lee, who did flash some potential but also had his share of nagging injuries that limited him in both games and practices.
While the Cowboys are hoping and expecting Lee to take over for one of the two inside spots, only time will tell if he's firmly up to the challenge.
And while James is entering the final year of his deal, he's not exactly showing signs of wearing down. Before him, no player in Cowboys history had led the team in tackles for more than three consecutive years. This past season, James had a team-high 162 stops, marking the fifth straight time he's led the defense.
However, he did play through a bothersome knee injury for the second half of the season, which forced him to miss every Wednesday practice and sometimes Thursday and Friday as well. James didn't miss a beat on Sundays, though, playing and starting in all 16 games for the sixth straight season. In fact, in eight years, James has never missed a game due to injury.
Still, with James into his 30s now, alongside an even more aging Brooking, Lee often injured, and only Kenwin Cummings behind them in the middle, the Cowboys should at least be looking at other options.
With free agency unknown at the moment, that leaves the draft and it's not a very deep class of inside 'backers, especially for the Cowboys to take in the first round.
Some of the top ILBs include Oregon's Casey Matthews and Illinois' Martez Wilson. North Carolina's Quan Sturdivant, Kelvin Sheppard of LSU and Michigan State's Greg Jones are also solid inside linebackers who could be available in the second and third-round range.
