With DeMarcus Ware and Jason Hatcher gone, the Dallas Cowboys defensive line is entering the 2014 season with a defense with almost no big names.
Journeyman defensive end George Selvie posted an impressive seven sacks a year ago, more than anyone still on the roster, but he’s not exactly moving a lot of jerseys. They did sign defensive tackle Henry Melton in free agency this offseason, and he and Anthony Spencer are the only two players on the defensive front to have been named to a Pro Bowl--they both went in in 2012, though Spencer’s nod came for his work as an outside linebacker in the 3-4--but both are coming off serious injuries.
According to Tyrone Crawford--a player the Cowboys are high on, but who missed the entire 2013 season after suffering a torn Achilles in training camp--the group is young, hungry and in position to emerge from obscurity in 2014.
“I see it when we’re out there,” Crawford said, per the Dallas Morning News. “I see it when we bond. What we talk about as a defense, I’m just getting that feeling right now that we’re going to have a great year. I don’t know, I just have a feeling. With the guys that we have and the hunger that’s within everybody right now, it’s amazing. I’m crazy excited.”
As for Melton, who figures as a sort of insta-leader with a group this young, had a message for his defensive line-mates when he arrived in Dallas.
“We have a lot of guys that no one has really heard of, so I tell the guys every day that when I first started, no one knew who I was,” Melton said. “It’s all about just making a name for yourself and making them know your name.”
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