For NFL fans, few comforts are more satisfying than seeing a behemoth of a man down in the middle of the defensive line, a space-eater who can gobble up blockers and free up defensive playmakers. That’s especially true of Cowboys fans who fondly remember Nate “The Kitchen” Newton, who helped the team to three Super Bowls, weighing as much as 370 pounds. It’s also why fans took the Cowboys news of defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna’s release hard this summer, despite a disappointing two-year tenure.
Bohanna played well in training camp this summer, and appeared on the road to redemption. But ultimately, there was no room for him on the roster, and he was waived on roster cut-down day in August.
But the good Cowboys news is that Bohanna is back in the NFL. Alas, the bad Cowboys news is, he is now with the Lions, a potential NFC playoff foe for the Cowboys. Bohanna was called up off the practice squad and made his debut for Detroit in Week 11, playing 26 snaps and recording one tackle for a loss.
Quinton Bohanna Weighed 360 at the Draft
It is possible that, after two wildly inconsistent years in Dallas, Quinton Bohanna is, in fact, ready to produce. He was the Cowboys’ sixth-round pick out of Kentucky in 2021, and even then, he weighed in at 360 pounds and his draft profile at NFL.com began with, “’Big Bo’ is a massive individual.” He got a chance to play, with nine starts last season, but he did not produce consistently.
At Pro Football Focus, he had a ridiculously low grade of 41.1 for the Cowboys in 2022. As the Cowboys news website SportDFW observed, “Having a terrifyingly strong behemoth in the middle is something fans love, and his size and strength gave rise to optimism about his potential. He just didn’t show enough improvements in live-game action this preseason, however.”
At Cowboys Wire, another Cowboys news site, Bohanna was praised for his versatility even at his size. “The Cowboys had relatively high hopes when they drafted Quinton Bohanna in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. The 6-foot-4, 360-pound mountain from Kentucky possessed both enormous mass and a shockingly quick step off the snap. Bohanna was the rare mix the Cowboys look for in a 1-tech defensive tackle. He was stout enough to 2-gap and hold up against double teams, yet agile enough to provide a little penetration.”
But the Cowboys are trying to win a Super Bowl and did not have time to wait for Bohanna’s development. They traded for Jonathan Hankins last season, ending Bohanna’s stint as a starter, then drafted Mazi Smith with their first-round pick this year, ending Bohanna’s time in Dallas altogether.
Cowboys News: Ex-DT Plays Well
One thing that Cowboys Wire also noted: “(Bohanna) was a late round pick, but with any luck could develop into a real player with a little time.”
It’s only one game, of course, but Quinton Bohanna did appear to make the most of the snaps he got for Detroit on Sunday, in a wild win over the Bears. He tallied a grade at PFF of 66.1, which is still around average, but is a big improvement over his number last year with the Cowboys.
Bohanna also was tabbed by Lions coach Dan Campbell to leapfrog a pair of high 2021 draft picks, further evidence that he might get a real shot in Detroit. When he was activated, the Lions left second-round pick Levi Onwuzurike inactive, as well as third-rounder Brodric Martin.
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Ex-Cowboys 360-Pound ‘Fan Favorite’ Debuts for NFC Contender