Not many issues for Dallas Cowboys defense, but there is one big, major concern

When watching the Dallas Cowboys, there was glaring issue that a former player noticed could ultimately cost this team, and prevent them from winning the games they covet in January.

“Their defensive style is feast or famine,” former New England Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty said in a phone interview.

McCourty, who played with current Dallas Cowboys cornerback Stephon Gilmore as teammates with the Patriots, is an analyst for NBC Sports.

“They play a lot of man coverage, and if you are going to do that there could be a game when you don’t play that well,” McCourty said. “There could be that game where you just say, ‘He got me today.’ Is that a weakness? No.

“It’s something when you play certain teams, like San Francisco in the playoffs, they are going draw up three or four plays, bunch you up for a mismatch, and they get a play or two on you; the next thing you know you give up 21 points on three plays, and for the rest of the game you play lights out.”

When asked to address this concern, Gilmore said, “We don’t play man coverage the entire time. The ball has to come out fast, and we do a good job of getting good pressure. It allows us to make more plays because we trigger it faster.”

It’s the week of Christmas, and the Cowboys are tied for the second-most wins in the NFL with 10 entering their game against the Dolphins in Miami. The perfect time to write them off.

After allowing the Bills to run for 266 yards in a 31-10 loss in Buffalo, the Cowboys defense justifiably merits scrutiny.

It’s good enough to be ranked sixth in the NFL overall, and fifth in points per game, but in the three of their four losses they have displayed a vulnerable soft underbelly.

They gave up 222 yards on the ground in the Week 3 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. That remains the loss that keeps on “giving.”

They gave up 170 yards rushing in the Week 5 defeat at San Francisco.

The loss at Philadelphia in Week 9 was a game the Cowboys should have won. The defense wasn’t great, but not horrible.

That defense was four-letter horrible at Buffalo, because of that soft underbelly.

Every good NFL team has an issue or two, and one of the Cowboys’ bigger flaws is that they aren’t equipped in the middle against the run. Their safeties are solid, but what they have in the middle along the front seven is a “topic.”

It’s one of the reasons the team pursued Shaq Leonard after the Indianapolis Colts released the former Pro Bowl linebacker last month; he signed with the Eagles.

Losing linebacker Leighton Vander Esch to a season-ending neck injury sustained in the loss at San Francisco continues to create issues for this defense. His absence is also not the reason why the Bills needed only to complete seven passes in their win against the Cowboys.

Against the Bills, the Cowboys were without defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, who apparently now is a recreation of Warren Sapp.

Hankins is a nice player, and he’s been a quality add since the team acquired him for a seventh round pick to the Raiders in October of 2022. He is also not Aaron Donald.

The selection of Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith in the first round of the 2023 draft hasn’t done much. It’s too early to dismiss him as Taco Charlton 2.0 (they’re both Michigan alums), but Mr. Smith needs to start making a few plays.

Moving linebacker Micah Parsons from the outside to the inside is not going to happen. He is too valuable as a pass rusher, and he’s just not quite big enough to consistently take beat guards and centers.

The best way to fix this is to take the lead early, and force the opponent to throw the ball. That’s when the Cowboys’ defense flourishes.

The Cowboys currently rank 12th in the NFL against the run, and against most teams their issues in the middle have proven not to be much of a problem.

Against the talented teams, however, their soft underbelly on defense should be treated as a major concern.