With the 2014 season in the rear-view, let's look back at how the Cowboys did on a position-by-position basis. We'll look at starters and contributors, not every last man on the roster.
The Cowboys were expected to be a complete dumpster fire on the defensive side of the ball in 2014, but somehow they put a respectable unit out on the field. A big reason for that was the play of the no-name defensive line.
Grade: C+
The biggest drawback of this unit was the Cowboys' general lack of sacks, as they were led by Jeremy Mincey's six. Second-round draft pick DeMarcus Lawrence started the year on the PUP list and never really showed too much until the very end of the season when he made a couple of plays. Anthony Spencer basically was the same story, and Henry Melton never quite amounted to what the Cowboys hoped.
Mincey was a huge surprise, as was the play of tackle Tyrone Crawford. Ultimately, the unit was not a liability but did leave some to be desired. If you're grading on a curve for expectations, you're probably looking at a B, but looking at the whole picture, we'll stick with our C+.
