Getty Cowboys owner Jerry Jones with head coach Mike McCarthy.
There are plenty of nits to pick with the Dallas Cowboys in regard to how this once-promising season has crashed and burned.
One certainly could criticize the hiring of head coach Mike McCarthy and defensive coordinator Mike Nolan. Or umbrage might be taken over the team’s failure to lock down franchise quarterback Dak Prescott. Or anything in between, really.
Bleacher Report instead focused the spotlight on a micro level, dubbing Dallas’ decision to pass on a safety in April’s draft — particularly in the third round, where defensive lineman Neville Gallimore was selected — as its “most boneheaded move of 2020.”
Via BR columnist Brad Gagnon:
Despite a dearth of in-house talent in those spots, the team—which was already handcuffed by a lack of cap space in free agency—didn’t use any of its seven draft picks on safeties.
One particular juncture might hurt the most in hindsight. That’s the middle of the third round, when the Cowboys drafted defensive lineman Neville Gallimore three picks before the Indianapolis Colts took Julian Blackmon.
By no means is Gallimore a write-off—he’s flashed a bit in limited playing time—but Blackmon is one of the leading candidates for Defensive Rookie of the Year. The Utah product has made several game-changing plays this season, including a forced fumble in a recent overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers. He’s always in the right spot, he’s been excellent in coverage, and he generally appears to be becoming a star.
The Cowboys could have used a difference-maker like that in the secondary.
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Comparing Stats
Indeed, Blackmon has proven to be a playmaker on an elite NFL defense. Through 10 games (nine starts), he’s collected 24 solo tackles, six pass deflections, two interceptions and a forced fumble for a Colts unit that ranks fifth in total yards allowed per game.
Compare that to the Cowboys’ safety troika of Xavier Woods, Darian Thompson and Donovan Wilson, which has combined for just one INT and one PBU. To no surprise, the group is bleeding yards (382.0) and points (32.6) each and every week, contributing to the misery that is the 2020 campaign.
Gallimore, meanwhile, has tallied four solo tackles, two tackles for loss and two quarterback hits across nine appearances and 229 defensive snaps. He’s seen an uptick in usage following DL Trysten Hill’s season-ending ACL injury and the release of nose tackle Dontari Poe.
His best professional performance to date came in Week 9 when the 23-year-old totaled three stop, one TFL, and one QB hit, consistently holding his own around the line of scrimmage.
“He’s playing fast,” McCarthy said of Gallimore after that game, a 24-19 loss to Pittsburgh, via CBS Sports. “He’s not thinking. He’s an excellent example of what I was talking about earlier. He’s obviously making the adjustments he needs to make.
“I thought he was extremely physical and impactful. I thought he did a lot of nice things in [against the Steelers].”
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL