The Dallas Cowboys made big headlines on Wednesday when they signed defensive end Greg Hardy to a one-year deal after losing defensive linemen Henry Melton and most recently George Selvie to free agency.
Aside from Hardy, the Cowboys have now kept one of their own in defensive tackle Nick Hayden, who signed a one-year deal on Thursday to remain with the team after becoming a personal favorite of defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli.
Chances are, Marinelli isn't fond of Hayden so much for his talent and play as he is for his effort and motor, which is arguably the best on the team. But his deficiencies are evident, as the folks at Pro Football Focus so kindly pointed out.
As the folks at noted Cowboys blog Landry Hat pointed out, Hayden's PFF rating on the season was a league-worst among defensive tackles and the worst on the Cowboys defense. His rating of -23.8 was by far the worst on the team, followed by Bruce Carter's -8.2.
The hope here is that Hayden is nothing more than a solid backup in 2015 after starting the last 32 games for the Cowboys. There is something to be said for his veteran presence, but it sure would be nice if the Cowboys could draft a defensive tackle early on in the draft to start in his place.
