Former NFL player and scout Bucky Brooks knows the ins and outs of this league, providing keen insight in his notebook. Today’s installment covers:
- The real culprit behind Dak Prescott’s struggles this season.
- What Baltimore can expect from trade acquisition Diontae Johnson.
But first, a look at the current pecking order at one of the game’s BIGGEST positions …
Aaron Donald helped redefine defensive tackle during his 10 years in the NFL, spearheading a revolution that saw the position become more involved in the pass rush in an aerially inclined league. But after the three-time Defensive Player of the Year retired this past the offseason, we were left to wonder who would take on the mantle of top dog at DT.
Chris Jones certainly has a case, as a disruptive interior defender with rare pass-rush skills and sack artistry. Since 2022, Jones has racked up 29 sacks over 40 games, earning first-team All-Pro honors in each of the past two seasons. Moreover, Jones has played a critical role in the Chiefs’ back-to-back Super Bowl titles, always seeming to create game-changing plays in timely spots.
Jones’ dominance on the game’s biggest stages further raised the position’s profile. As more team builders have recognized the power of a disruptive defensive tackle with pass-rush skills, we have seen the money explode for elite players at the position. A few weeks ago, Alim McNeill signed an extension with the Lions that made him the 14th interior defensive lineman to average at least $21 million in annual compensation.
Dexter Lawrence, who inked a four-year, $87 million extension two offseasons ago, currently boasts a league-high nine sacks. Here’s a fun nugget from NFL Research: If Lawrence finishes on top at his listed weight (340 pounds), he will be the heaviest player to lead the league in sacks since they became an official statistic in 1982.
With all of that in mind, this is the perfect time to assess the current hierarchy at the position. Here are my top five defensive tackles right now.
It is time to hand the belt to the new heavyweight champion of the defensive interior. Not only does this gargantuan game wrecker lead the league with nine sacks, but he’s unsurprisingly a beast against the run. The man called “Sexy Dexy” has truly rare traits as a hulking presence with heavy hands and ballerina-like footwork. Lawrence’s unique combination of tools enables the sixth-year pro to win with force or finesse at the line of scrimmage. With few teams capable of blocking the Giants star — no matter how many bodies they put on him — Lawrence has emerged as the new king of the hill at DT.
Despite a relatively slow start to this season by Jones’ lofty standards (three sacks in seven games), this three-time Super Bowl champion remains a game-planning nightmare. Jones destroys running games with his quickness, strength and power, while also displaying exceptional skills as a power-based pass rusher from various spots on the defensive front. As the straw that stirs the drink for Steve Spagnuolo’s unit, this is the defense’s Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City. And just like last year’s team, the 2024 Chiefs are really leaning on their D to win.
The Jets have been a soap opera all season, with drama constantly surrounding the 3-6 team, but Williams continues to provide excellent returns. The sixth-year pro continues to destroy blocking schemes with his explosive first-step quickness and violent hands. Whether stonewalling running backs in the hole or pummeling quarterbacks on pass rushes, Williams is a force to be reckoned with, as evidenced by his five sacks, 22 tackles (including four for loss) and 13 QB hits through nine games.
Just when the football world was ready to demote Heyward from the ranks of the elite following an injury-riddled 2023 campaign, the 35-year-old has turned back the clock as a dominant defender between the tackles. PFF’s highest-graded interior defender through eight weeks, Heyward has racked up three sacks, 33 tackles (including four for loss) and 12 QB hits, displaying the vintage moves that helped him become a perennial Pro Bowler prior to last season. As opponents opt to block with one-on-one tactics due to the extra attention required to neutralize edge menace T.J. Watt, the veteran has found a way to punish play-callers for their schematic disrespect.
McNeill’s emergence as an athletic run-stopper with pass-rush skills has helped the Lions survive the loss of Aidan Hutchinson on the edge. The 6-foot-2, 315-pounder is an athletic defensive tackle with the strength, power and agility to knock blockers back or scoot past them utilizing various finesse maneuvers. McNeill’s versatility makes him extremely valuable in today’s NFL, helping explain why the Lions just handed him a four-year, $97 million extension.
The truth about Dak Prescott’s poor play
Two months into the 2024 campaign, Dak Prescott is under fire.
Having just become the highest-paid player in NFL history with a four-year, $240 million contract that averages $60 million per season, the Cowboys quarterback is an easy target. With the memory of Dallas’ humiliating playoff flame-out against Green Bay still fresh in the minds of naysayers, it’s open season on Dak. The haters are torching the ninth-year pro, with the Cowboys sitting at a disappointing 3-4 and the quarterback owning career lows in touchdown-to-interception ratio (10:8) and passer rating (84.5).
But how fair is the criticism?
While the 2023 MVP runner-up deserves flak for some errant tosses and poor decisions, the Cowboys just did not provide Prescott with a supporting cast that would enable him to flourish from the pocket this season. With an aging backfield, a pass-catching group that seriously lacks juice beyond WR1 CeeDee Lamb and an inexperienced O-line, Dallas’ offense is a flawed unit right now. The Cowboys do not have the talent to compete with the league’s heavyweights; critics are out of line in placing all of the blame for this team’s shortcomings on Dak. Owner/general manager Jerry Jones should take more heat for failing to build a roster that properly supports a highly accomplished quarterback who should be squarely in his prime.
Dallas went into this past offseason without an established RB1, yet chose not to pursue Derrick Henry or another blue-chip runner in free agency. And the team left the 2024 NFL Draft without addressing the position at all. Very odd. Given the Cowboys’ past successes while leaning on a dominant running game to support Prescott — Dallas won division titles in 2016, 2018 and 2021 with top-10 rushing attacks — I was shocked to see Jones abandon that blueprint. And if the ‘Boys were looking to shift to more of a pass-first approach, why didn’t they make more of an effort to upgrade the talent in the WR room? What happened to being “all in” on the 2024 season?
Through the first eight weeks of this season, Dallas has the league’s worst rushing offense, averaging a meager 74.1 yards per game. And without multiple high-end options to balance the aerial attack, the Cowboys cannot counter the tilted coverage directed at Lamb to neutralize his impact as a big-play pass catcher.
Given the lack of talent around Prescott, how can we expect the 31-year-old to elevate a pedestrian offense in a pass-happy league? Though the veteran must improve his performance, production and efficiency as a QB1, the Cowboys’ offensive failures are mostly due to a flawed roster that lacks the talent to compete with the league’s best teams.
How does Diontae Johnson fit in BAL?
The Ravens’ offense has been a well-rounded buzzsaw so far this season. Through Week 8, they ranked first in total yards per game (452.1) and rushing yards per game (200.0), second in points per game (30.3) and fifth in passing yards per game (252.1). They’ve topped 400 yards in six games, winning five of them. And yet, team brass took a swing at somehow improving this unit by making a deal for receiver Diontae Johnson, sending a fifth-round draft pick in 2025 to the Panthers in exchange for Johnson and a sixth-round selection on Tuesday.
So, what can Johnson do to make this attack even more imposing?
The sixth-year pro is a dynamic chain-mover with the route-running skill and playmaking ability to enhance the Ravens’ passing game. Johnson specializes in working the underneath coverage areas, utilizing his instincts, awareness and savvy to find the voids in zones. He also possesses the speed, quickness and burst to run away from defenders on crossing routes; this skill can enable him to help QB Lamar Jackson punish opponents for sending blitzes and heavy pressure.
The lineup already featured emerging No. 1 playmaker Zay Flowers, a pair of dynamic “MOF” (middle of the field) pass catchers (tight ends Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews) and the promising but inconsistent Rashod Bateman. Johnson can serve as a WR2 or WR3 whose presence puts defensive coordinators in a bind when game-planning for the Ravens’ aerial attack and Derrick Henry and Jackson on the ground. If opponents place an extra defender in the box to slow the downhill running game or the read-option attack, the Ravens have enough pass catchers on the perimeter to win their one-on-one matchups in space.
Baltimore utilizes the threat of the running game to create big plays through the air. Johnson is one more weapon for an arsenal that has been nearly impossible to defend in 2024 — making the Ravens a team that no one would want to face in a playoff shootout.
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