The Dallas Cowboys made it a point to transform their defense this offseason, and they still have a long way to go if they want things to change from this past season. One of the defensive players probably won't be with them until the start of training camp, as he recently underwent surgery, according to ESPN's Todd Archer.
“Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku underwent hip surgery to repair a labrum tear five weeks ago, but he could be out until the start of training camp, according to a source,” Archer wrote.
The Cowboys selected Ezeiruaku with their second-round pick last year. He finished the season with two sacks, but there is a lot of optimism that he could turn into something special. In his final year with Boston College, he finished with 17.5 sacks.
Ezeiruaku also finished with 40 tackles and a forced fumble in his rookie season. His seven tackles for loss led the defense, and he had the second-most quarterback pressures with 43.
With new defensive coordinator Christian Parker coming in, there's an expectation that the Cowboys will be switching to a 3-4 scheme. For Ezeiruaku, that may not be the best, as he is supposed to be an outside linebacker in the new scheme. It would be better for him to be able to start getting those reps before training camp, but with his timetable, it doesn't look like he'll have much time to get acclimated.
That means that the Cowboys will have to make it a priority to add depth in free agency and in the draft, which is probably what they were going to do in the first place.
The Cowboys' defense was not the best last season, and they nearly cleaned house with staff on that side of the ball. The hope is that with a new staff and more players, they could have a better year.
