Such is the nature of this Dallas Cowboys defense that it’s very difficult to figure out not only where this group is here after five weeks in which the team has thoroughly failed to impress, but what might be done to fix it. On Monday, former Cowboys scout Bryan Broaddus said that one move the Cowboys could make would be to cut veteran former All-Pro Von Miller and free up more time for young pass-rushers. On Tuesday, owner and GM Jerry Jones said the exact opposite.
In fact, Jones wants to see Miller on the field more, even if it means bumping younger players from the rotation. Miller has not played much, logging just 72 snaps this season, which is a little less than 22%. He had a season-high 22 snaps against Washington in Week 2, and a season-low 10 snaps against Tampa Bay in Week 5.
Von Miller Has Long List of Accomplishments
Miller’s resume is stacked, of course. He will go down as one of the great pass rushers of his generation, a sure bet Hall of Famer. He’s been part of two Super Bowl champs, and has eight Pro Bowl appearances and three first-team All-Pros to his credit, and is the NFL‘s active leader in sacks, with 138.5. He is 37 and though he had 9.0 sacks in Washington last year, he has none, and just two tackles, for the Cowboys this season.
In an appearance on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday, Jones was asked about Miller and said: “I think that’s, again, the things that you start looking at when you’re not having the success that you want to have. And that is, do you have the right people out there with the right amount of playing time? He is a prime one to look at because he has got such an outstanding record in his career and we do need pressure.
“So, yeah, you can look at that and incorporate that into what you’re changing.”
Cowboys Seeking Personnel and Scheme Change
Jones said the Cowboys are looking at scheme changes, too, and he has said he is open to making more trades to bring in more help. But he said a combination of things–scheme and players–will be needed to make real change on the defense.
Said Jones: “Obviously, within certain things, scheme, or within the personnel we’ve got, or personnel we’ve got that are available or will be available, this is how you correct where we are right now with our defense, with our team.”
Cowboys’ Jerry Jones Wants More Playing Time for ‘Prime’ All-Pro