Why the Cowboys could have the league's worst defense (again)

Any time a football player is on a football field, he can suffer a football injury. That even applies in late May during Organized Team Activities, over four months before a meaningful regular season snap. It happens during “non-contact drills”, a concept which is impossible to fully embrace, and often laughable. Asking players to kindly tuck away their instinct to seek physical contact will never be realistic.

Nearly every year there’s a devastating injury in May that alters a season long before it begins. Last year Michael Crabtree and Melvin Ingram went down during OTAs, both missing significant time. Two years ago it was Terrell Suggs ripping his Achilles during a personal workout.

Now Sean Lee is gone again, and the Dallas Cowboys will have one of the league’s worst defenses yet again.

The ramifications of Lee’s collision with first-round rookie tackle Zack Martin during the Cowboys’ opening spring practice will likely be made official later today, but several sources confirmed the worst last night. Lee has been told the MRI showed a torn ACL, according to ESPN’s Ed Werder, a report echoed by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who says the middle linebacker will likely miss the entire 2014 season.

The word “likely” is included there as a polite professional formality. The truth: he’s gone.

If you’re the type who always has pleasant, hopeful thoughts filled with rainbows and delightful singing birds, then you’ll note Melvin Ingram tore his ACL almost exactly one year ago (May 14) and was able to return in a limited capacity for four regular season games before going flat-out during the playoffs. His two post-season starts were highlighted by an Andy Dalton interception.

Ingram was contributing only seven months later after his injury. But the comparison ends there, as that was Ingram’s first rip, while Lee has now sliced through the same left ACL twice in addition to also tearing the one holding his other knee in place. Overall he’s been a piece of muscular glass with various other breaks and snaps (18 missed games over three years).

Once more with feeling this time: he’s gone.

Even with Lee, the Cowboys were set to be a horrible defense, forcing their loaded offense to engage in wild west shootouts to win games. In 2013 they gave up a league worst 415.3 total yards per game, and it wasn’t close, with the second worst Vikings a fair distance away at 397.6. That led to an average of 27 points allowed per game (27th), 6.1 yards per play (31st), and 51 touchdowns (tied for 27th).

Really absorb those numbers of woe, and then remember that Lee -- excellent both in coverage and stuffing the run -- was still around for at least a good chunk of last season, appearing in 11 games before missing five with neck and hamstring problems.

Despite that missed time something both herculean and tearful happened. Lee was still second on the team in tackles with 99, first in interceptions with four, and he had the most defensive stops with 42. That shows both the extent of his status as a defensive cornerstone when healthy, and the utter lack of other playmakers on the Cowboys defense.

It’s going to get worse this year. In addition to playing without Lee, the Cowboys just completed an offseason where DeMarcus Ware and Jason Hatcher were allowed to walk due to severe salary cap restraints. Of the Cowboys’ meager 34 sacks this past season (25th in the league), 17 came from Ware and Hatcher.

In a period of just a few months then the Cowboys have lost that pass rushing presence, and they’re without a middle linebacker who had four of their 15 interceptions. He’ll be replaced by fourth-round pick Anthony Hitchens, who quite understandably said he’s not ready yet. He’ll play alongside Brandon Carr, a corner who gave up the third most catches in the league, along with 968 yards in 2013. Then there’s Morris Claiborne, the burgeoning first-round bust who allowed 16.6 yards per reception, according to Pro Football Focus, at least temporarily losing his starting job.

Yesterday a defense that gave up the third most total yards in NFL history was bad. Today it’s worse, and all hope now shifts to rookies (Hitchens and DeMarcus Lawrence), and a veteran just now returning from an ACL tear of his own (Henry Melton).

More yards are coming. So many more yards.