A question the 2014 Cowboys never imagined they’d be asking themselves:
How do we replace Justin Durant?
Not that the linebacker is a bad player. He’s just not a dynamic playmaker. And now he’s out at least three games with a strained groin.
Scrambling to replace mediocre players is the stuff of average teams. Welcome to the 2014 Cowboys.
Durant led the Cowboys with 12 tackles and a quarterback pressure against the 49ers, but suffered the injury in the second half. After the game in the locker room he said he didn’t think the injury was serious, but obviously he was mistaken.
Problem? Now a thin defense must dig a little deeper into the depth chart.
Durant played weakside linebacker in the regular defense, middle linebacker in Dallas’ Nickel package and made all the defensive calls.
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Against San Francisco Rolando McClain stayed on the field in the middle in passing situations and made the defensive calls. The options of replacing Durant in the regular defense are to start rookie Anthony Hitchens, or to move Bruce Carter to the weak side and start Kyle Wilber on the strong side.
Hitchens, Carter and Wilber can play either side, but any alignment is going to be a slight drop-off from Durant. And for a defense expected to be one of the worst in the NFL, that’s scary news.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He currently lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
