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 reason for that was the unexpected play of the secondary, led by Orlando Scandrick.
Grade: C
There might not have been a better player on the Cowboys "we-fense" than Scandrick, who is proving to be one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL and bring a really nasty, physical nature to the entire defense. He was undoubtedly the star of the secondary, but the unit also had a nice coming out party for safety Barry Church, who proved to be a reliable starting safety in the NFL.
The weak links were overpaid cornerback Brandon Carr, who played well down the stretch, but struggled early in the year and still hasn't had an interception since Week 1 of 2013! Mo Claiborne was lost for the season early on, but they didn't seem to really miss the former first-rounder as guys like Sterling Moore stepped up in his absence.
The biggest bright spot for the Cowboys' secondary was their ability to limit big plays, but they still had their warts and overall were probably still the weak link of the defense.
