New Cowboy
FRISCO, Texas – As it happens, the weather for Michael Bennett’s first NFL practice in North Texas was colder than the weather in New England on Tuesday morning.
So the new Cowboys’ defensive end slipped his No. 79 jersey over a navy long-sleeve undershirt and gray sweatpants, star-specked helmet on his head, as he joined stretching lines in the misty, 40-degree wind chill morning.
Then Bennett geared up for his first practice alongside new fellow linemen.
“His resume speaks for itself,” defensive end Robert Quinn said afterward. “So I really don’t got to brag on him too much.”
The Cowboys (4-3) acquired Bennett from New England in exchange for a conditional 2021 sixth- or seventhround pick last Thursday heading into their bye weekend. The team lost defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford (hip surgery) for the season and expects Bennett to serve a similar versatile role playing tackle and edge as he defends against both the run and the pass.
Two-time Pro Bowler DeMarcus Lawrence has started this season at left end, while Quinn, who Dallas acquired in March from Miami, has lined up right. Quinn has since notched six sacks in five games.
Quinn said he expects the addition of Bennett to further fuel competition on a defensive line that coaches like to regularly rotate through games. Maliek Collins and Antwaun Woods have mostly started inside for the Cowboys.
“You don’t want someone to come in and outshine you,” Quinn said. “Not in a disrespectful way. More just bringing the best out of a person, which makes it exciting.
“His resume speaks for himself, so I can’t let him come in here and take all the shine.”
Bennett has 651⁄2 sacks, 341 tackles, 182 quarterback hits and 13 forced fumbles in 147 career games. In 2018 with the Eagles, he posted nine sacks, 34 tackles and two forced fumbles.
But the Patriots’ down-blitzing scheme didn’t cater to Bennett’s strengths as well as a 4-3 scheme does, he and New England coaches thought. Add in a suspension in his last game in
New England for “conduct detrimental to the team,” and the Patriots were ready to move on. Patriots coach Bill Belichick endorsed Bennett to the Cowboys. So did Cowboys defensive play caller Kris Richard, for whom Bennett played five seasons in Seattle. Coaches and teammates said Bennett’s familiarity with Richard’s system and terminology are helping his adjustment.
“We believe he fits into our scheme well,” Garrett said. “He has been a productive player, playing in a four-down scheme, playing a couple of different spots we’re going to ask him to play.”
The Cowboys’ defense ranked seventh best (329.2 yards per game) in 2018 and fifth (94.6 yards) against the run. In 2019, they’ve ranked eighth (324.9 yards) overall and 13th (96.9) against the run. The defense was frenetic in a Week 7 win over the Eagles, forcing fumbles on each of Philadelphia’s first two drives and recovering a third later in the game. Dallas’ offense scored on each en route to a 37-10 win.
But in six weeks prior, the defense hadn’t once helped its offense to a drive that started in opponent territory. They weren’t generating the pressure they sought and repeatedly said they were not playing to their standards. The Cowboys lost three in a row in that time.
Bringing in Bennett wasn’t necessarily a “need,” Garrett said. But the Patriots’ low asking price presented an “opportunity.”
“We understand,” added Lawrence, “that he can help our cause in getting to the Super Bowl.”
Bennett might get his first on-field opportunity Monday against the 2-6 Giants. The team hadn’t made a decision Tuesday about his availability for the division matchup. But Bennett is practicing toward that goal. New York quarterback Daniel Jones could see a rush featuring Lawrence, Quinn and Bennett. Their potential? “Somebody got to get a sack,” Lawrence said. “They got to beat me to it.”