The Dallas Cowboys defense will be getting a much-needed boost to run-stopping with the news that a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders will send defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins to Dallas. In exchange, the Cowboys are giving Vegas just a 2023 sixth-round pick, while also receiving a seventh-round pick in the trade.
Hankins is a 6-foot-3, 340-pound tackle who began his career in the NFC East with the New York Giants. A second-round pick in 2013, Hankins found himself on the road after four seasons in the Big Apple, landing in Indianapolis for 15 games. Released as a free agent, Hankins eventually signed with the then-Oakland Raiders in 2018.
In 2021, Hankins recorded a total of 38 tackles as a run-stopper that included six run stuffs for no gain and one pass batted down. He will join the Cowboys as another piece for Dan Quinn to work into the mix.
Quinn has shown a propensity to use numerous defensive player groups, moving players like Quinton Bohanna, Osa Odighizuwa, and Carlos Watkins who was just elevated from the practice squad.
The pass defense has been phenomenal this season. Dallas leads the league in sacks with 29 and is allowing only 5.5 yards per pass attempt.
Linebacker Micah Parsons picked up right where he left off from his Rookie Defensive Player of the Year 2021 season and has been instrumental in creating a wild, raucous defense that hits teams from multiple angles. Demarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong, and the rest of the defense are a menace for passing teams.
The Cowboys haven’t been as beat up as some teams by the run, but the numbers are nothing spectacular. For Quinn and this defense, middle-of-the-road numbers are not going to be good enough.
The defense has given up 841 yards through seven games with an average of 4.4 yards per carry. The one defensive stat the Cowboys run defense has been rock solid on is rushing touchdowns allowed. Only two scores against the Cowboys this season have come on the ground. A big part of that has been the defensive ability to hold teams to low scores and prevent red-zone trips.
The 26 points surrendered in the Week 5 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles are the most points scored against the Cowboys this season. No other team has scored 20 points or more against the Cowboys in 2022. Last week, the defense held up the Lions, allowing just two field goals while forcing a fumble on the goal line to deny a rushing touchdown.
The idea of adding another talented defensive line player to the squad that Quinn already has available is a terrifyingly appropriate scenario for the upcoming Halloween Eve contest against the Chicago Bears. The Bears are developing into a hard-running team and their Monday Night beat down of the New England Patriots by effectively running the ball means the Dallas defense will need to be well-prepared.
The team hopes to get Hankins up to speed as quickly as possible, beginning with the Wednesday practice. The goal is to have him ready to begin contributing when the Cowboys take on Chicago this weekend.
