Coming off a 37-22 win against the New York Jets in Week 5, the Dallas Cowboys have to be feeling good about how their defense is trending upwards. Turning their attention to the Week 6 matchup against the Carolina Panthers, the team has to feel good about the opportunity to get over .500 and put together back to back strong defensive performances.
To do so, there are two players to watch on defense for Dallas. Additionally, two rookies for Carolina are worth keeping an eye on. Let’s take a look at all of them and see how they could impact the game.
Kaair Elam, CB, Dallas
After an up and mostly down debut season with the Cowboys, Elam played only 34 snaps in Week 5, by far his lowest total all year. Oddly enough, he also turned in what were far and away his best overall defensive grade at 74.0, and his best coverage grade at 74.1
Did Dallas finally find a way to help Elam reach the potential that the Buffalo Bills saw in him when they made him a first round pick in 2022? Or was this just a flash in the pan against a poor opponent?
If it’s the latter, then Dallas may have found a quality coverage man, albeit in a limited number of snaps, in the middle of a year that they desperately need one.
Donovan Ezeiruaku, DE, Dallas
While solid overall this year as evidenced by his 59.7 PFF grade so far, it is at least a little disappointing that EZ hasn’t gotten home and recorded a sack quite yet. Coming off his best overall performance yet in Week 5 though, he seems to be getting close.
Against the Jets, he recorded three hits, a hurry, four tackles, and zero missed tackles. He’s getting pressure, playing sound in the run game, and the pass rush around him is improving. Sooner than later, expect him to get that first sack.
Princely Umanmielen, DE, Carolina
Speaking of rookie pass rushers struggling to get home, Umanmielen has taken a while to get going in his own right. While he was expected to be a project in the draft, his four total hurries in 81 snaps is disappointing, although he has at least gotten his first sack already.
The Cowboys have been up and down in regards to pass protection, although they’ve been better lately and are likely getting Tyler Guyton back this week. Still, Umanmielen is the most athletically gifted edge rusher on Carolina so if anyone from that group is going to get Dak, there’s a good chance it’ll be him.
Lathan Ransom, SAF, Carolina
A rookie out of Ohio State, Ransom has seen his snap count increase from 21 in Week 1 to a season-high 53 in Week 5. In those snaps, he’s been an exceptional run defender with a 91.7 grade in that regard, as well as a 89.9 tackling mark.
He’s struggled immensely in coverage though, earning a subpar 48.6 grade in that facet. As the Cowboys look to continue their aerial fireworks, look for them to target Ransom when he’s on the field.