NFL Dallas Cowboys

LB Least of Dallas Cowboys’ Offseason Needs

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Anthony Hitchens Dallas Cowboys

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As the Dallas Cowboys enter the 2015 offseason, one area of their defense that won’t need much addressing is the linebacker position.

When the team went into training camp last year, Sean Lee went down with a season-ending injury and all of a sudden the outlook for this already-struggling defense looked unbelievably bleak. They had just lost their best defensive player in Lee, and their all-time sack leader DeMarcus Ware left for the Denver Broncos, so naturally everyone was expecting this to be a historically bad unit.

And to make things worse, the Cowboys traded for a player who had a slew of off-field issues and had already retired from the game twice in Rolando McClain.

But it looks like being away from the game put life into perspective for McClain, and he came back to the NFL as a focused and determined player. He was starting to show flashes of what made him a top-five pick in the draft and why Nick Saban called him one of the smartest players he’s ever coached. His nasty demeanor and hustle on the field became contagious, and it quickly made him the leader of the linebacker crew.

He wound up being one of the leading tacklers and playmakers on the Cowboys’ defensive unit, and Jerry Jones will certainly look to keep him on the roster for the 2015 season.

In addition to McClain, Bruce Carter also rebounded from a down year. Not only did he avoid being cut from the team, but he wound up being one of the key contributors for the Cowboys down the final stretch of the season, making big play after big play in the passing game. He led the team with five interceptions on the year and has improved his chances of being brought back for the 2015 campaign.

But the biggest surprise by far would have to be the play of rookie linebacker Anthony Hitchens. When the Cowboys drafted him, the knock on him was that he was a small linebacker who overachieved his entire career and that little should be expected from him outside of playing on special teams and back up duty. Well all he did was come in, learn every position, and played each one of those positions at a high level.

With the number of injuries the Cowboys sustained throughout the year, their defensive unit would have completely collapsed without Hitchens stepping in and playing as well as he did.

There is no way they can financially afford to keep them all, but Jones will have his choice of a line backing corps which consists of Lee, McClain Carter, Hitchens and Justin Durant; and no matter how you slice it, that’s a scary group to deal with. Things are looking up for the Cowboys defensively.

Kelly Anderson is a blogger for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @bgipp01 or add him to your network on Google

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