Cowboys’ new defense sets physical tone and passes early eye test in Rams scrimmage

OXNARD, Calif. — The first pass play of the Cowboys’ scrimmage against the Rams on Thursday afternoon ended in a sack for the first-team defense.

The Cowboys defense.

Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence came off the edge to get a “sack” as quarterback Matthew Stafford was backpedaling.

It was a perfect way to start the scrimmage for defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s defense. The Rams feature movement-heavy offensive formations with three and four receivers. Those different formations are what this new-look Cowboys defense needed to see on Thursday.

Lawrence’s firing set the tone.

“It just shows that even with the moves and stuff like that, our line of offense is still going to be the same,” cornerback Jourdan Lewis said. “The seven guys up front are going to be the same guys that are going to sack the quarterback, which is going to help us even more.”

Outside of Lawrence’s sack, rookie cornerback Caelen Carson, a fifth-round pick out of Wake Forest, intercepted a Jimmy Garoppolo pass, linebacker Eric Kendricks recovered a fumble and during pass rush drills, second-year defensive tackle Mazi Smith and recently signed defensive tackle Albert Huggins showed up.

Carson’s interception confirms what the Cowboys are seeing this training camp: a player who makes plays on the ball. He’ll now have to do that when preseason action begins Sunday against the Rams, but he’s off to a good start.

Smith’s progress has been slow but he has come alive in recent days, playing physically in the centre of defence. He hasn’t been pushed as much in the last week and that’s because he is responding to instructions and producing when needed.

The Cowboys defense was all about stopping the run consistently in this scrimmage. Last season, the Cowboys allowed 4.2 yards per carry in the regular season, and in losses to the Bills and Cardinals, they allowed more than 200 rushing yards in each game. In the NFC wild-card loss, the Packers rushed for 143 yards. If Zimmer’s defensive scheme is going to fix anything with this defense, it’s stopping the run.

On Thursday afternoon, there was a forced fumble, defensive tackles Osa Odighizuwa and Smith were physical up the middle and we witnessed Kendricks play with the physicality needed at linebacker.

“We did pretty well,” Kendricks said. “Obviously, it’s a big emphasis this offseason and everyone took it to heart. But like I said, (the Rams) have some good plays and some good moves and, again, we’re going to figure things out.”

Not everything was perfect — Stafford scored a touchdown while rushing and secondary coach/assistant head coach Al Harris was upset about some completed passes over the middle — but for a first impression against another opponent, the Cowboys’ defense made a good statement.

Of course, quarterbacks can’t be touched during these training camp practices, and coaches don’t want to see players on the ground too long. What coaches want to see is physical behavior, and the Cowboys responded in that regard.

While the Cowboys’ first-team offense was involved in two matchups on Thursday, the Cowboys’ defense was not. That’s okay because they tried hard to take control of things.

It was just a scrimmage, so let’s not print playoff tickets just yet. What the Cowboys defense needed to do was show some improvement from last year and the run defense did that with the pass rush establishing itself early on.

The real test will come Sunday in the preseason opener, but for a small sample size, Thursday was good to see.

“I think both defenses, from both teams, had the advantage today, which doesn’t surprise me at all,” team owner Jerry Jones said. “First of all, the Rams didn’t show us what they’re going to use in the Super Bowl and they didn’t test everything we had. That’s the nature of these types of practices.”

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