Getty Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy looks on during an NFL game.
The Green Bay Packers exposed several of the Dallas Cowboys’ flaws as the team nears the stretch run of the season, and it is prompting some to call for the franchise to look for solutions beyond Odell Beckham Jr. Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill sees both Beckham and former Buccaneers pass rusher Ndamukong Suh as fits for the Cowboys.
“Headed home from Green Bay. The Cowboys looking funny in the light,” Hill tweeted on November 14, 2022. “They need Odell Beckham and Ndamukong Suh. And would Vince Lombardi [have] kicked the fg in OT? Let’s keep it real.”
The five-time Pro Bowler was a crucial member of the Buccaneers defense last season and during Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl run in 2020. Suh started all 17 games for the Bucs in 2021 notching 27 tackles, 13 quarterback hits, seven tackles for loss and six sacks.
The imposing pass rusher did not sign with a team last offseason and remains an available free agent. Suh played on a one-year, $9 million contract with Tampa Bay last season.
Suh Was Linked to the Browns, Raiders & Bucs During the Offseason
Suh, man. Still got it. Shaq very close to strip sack here
One of the areas of concern for the Cowboys defense is their inability to stop the run. Dallas gave up 207 rushing yards in the team’s overtime loss to Green Bay. The Cowboys are allowing the fourth-most rushing yards of any team this season with opposing offenses averaging 143.1 yards per contest.
With the trade deadline passed, Dallas has limited available options to try to address the issue. It is reasonable to wonder how much of an impact Suh would make having not participated in training camp and his last NFL game coming in January. The three-time All-Pro earned just a 49.4 grade from Pro Football Focus for his play in 2021.
Suh had been linked to the Buccaneers, Raiders and Browns throughout the offseason but no deal ever crossed the finish line. According to Spotrac, the Cowboys have a remaining $8.2 million in cap space, but would likely need to get creative financially to fit both Suh and Beckham onto the roster.
Parsons on Rushing Defense: ‘It’s Going to Keep Happening Until We Stop It’
Ndamukong Suh, now age 33, gets a big sack on Teddy to force 3rd and 17, stays on the field and chases CMC from behind on a screen pass to force a punt. Good hustle play.
After Dallas’ disappointing loss to Green Bay, star linebacker Micah Parsons was candid about the team’s struggles. Parsons admitted that he is “very upset” by the lack of accountability the defense is displaying.
“We just got to be accountable,” Parsons told reporters on November 13. “We gotta hold our gaps. We gotta come downhill and stop it [the run]. It’s going to keep happening until we stop it, period. We can rush as much as we want, but until we put this flame out of this running the ball stuff, we’re never going to be as good as we need to be, period. We got to get better.
“I think I would take any of those guys any day of the week when it comes to physicality, but in terms of being accountable and staying and knowing you’re doing your job, that’s what it is. People think this is an ‘I’ game, because some people splash. This is a ‘we’ thing, and it’s just not one person. If he don’t get the call, that’s on us. If he don’t stunt because I’m saying whether he do it, it’s either him or on us. You know what I’m saying?
“It’s a we thing. We got to depend on everybody to do their job and if one person’s not doing their job, everything’s in shambles. So, it’s something that I’m very upset about, and it has to change.”