Getty Images Ndamukong Suh of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Dallas Cowboys had no interest in free agent defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh prior to the former All-Pro reaching a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones discussed the move by the team’s NFC East rival, disclosing that there was no contact with Suh’s camp.
“No. No, we didn’t have contact,” Jones said during his weekly radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan. “I like where we are with our big boys in the middle. And I like our big boys and what we’re trying to accomplish. We got some very talented guys, prototypes that fit us perfectly and go with what we’re trying to do with our edge rushing and really our internal pressure.
“No, I like our bunch, and that’s got everything to do with it.”
Cowboys Trying to Keep Pace in Competitive NFC East
Suh, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 draft, comes with quite the resume, albeit he may be past his prime. He spent the previous three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, playing an integral role on the defensive line. He started 49 contests for the Bucs over that span, totaling 112 tackles, 23 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks.
Jones acknowledged what Suh brings to the table but just didn’t feel like he was a right fit for the Cowboys.
“Again, I don’t want to sound like I’m underappreciating what the Eagles are and he’s a player that makes plays,” Jones said. “We all know what we’re dealing with him. There are two questions here, number one, what are we going to be dealing with when we’re playing him? But the other question is, okay, how about the decision to not go get him like Philadelphia did? That’s two totally different questions.”
The Eagles are currently 8-1 and coming off their first loss of the season. The Cowboys are 6-3 and lost the first matchup of the season against Philadelphia 26-17, although they were playing without quarterback Dak Prescott.
Cowboys Struggling to Stop the Run
That Cowboys’ bunch in the middle Jones is referring to is anchored by Osa Odighizuwa, Johnathan Hankins, Neville Gallimore and Carlos Watkins. The Cowboys are currently ranked 29th in run defense, giving up 143.1 yards per game on the ground.
“Nobody’s going to allow us just to rush, nobody’s going to allow us to just be who we are,” linebacker Micah Parsons said after Sunday’s loss to the Packers. “That’s why we’ve got to take out this fire. Until we take out this fire, we’re going to just keep seeing it. … If people want to keep doing their own thing, we’re going to deal with this all year and we’re going to never be the team that we’re going to want to be. We have to put this out. We have to be accountable. We have to stay on our gaps and stop the run. Then once we stop it, we can go back to being who we are. But until we do that, it’s going to be a long year.”
The tough tests continue for the Cowboys, who face the 8-1 Vikings on Sunday in a very important NFC tilt.