31-year-old Tyrone Crawford battled with numerous injuries in the past couple of seasons, which played a role in his decision.
After nine seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, the defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford has opted for him retirement, reported the head coach Mike McCarthy this Thursday.
CrawfordThe 31-year-old battled numerous injuries in the past couple of seasons, including a double hip surgery that limited him to just four games in 2019. That played a part in the decision, given that he was about to become free agent, deciding instead that his body would no longer endure the rigors of the NFL.
The Cowboys they selected Crawford in the third round of the 2012 draft. After playing a backup role as a rookie, he tore his Achilles tendon in training camp his second season. He returned as a full-time starter in 2014 and had 37 tackles, three sacks, four tackles for loss and 29 rushes.
In 2015, Cowboys He was signed to a $ 45 million five-season extension, and he had 19 sacks from 2015 to 2018, including a career-best 5.5 in 2018. His ability to play multiple positions along the defensive line ended up hurting a bit. his production, because the coaches couldn’t decide whether to leave him at defensive end or defensive tackle.
Crawford He dealt with shoulder problems that would require surgery, but he became one of the leaders on the defense, who missed his absence during 2019.
He started three of 16 games in 2020 and finished with 17 tackles, two sacks and 13 quarterback rushes.
If the linebacker Sean Lee, who is a free agent, does not return for a twelfth season in Dallas, then DeMarcus Lawrence, a 2014 second-round draft pick, would be the player of the Cowboys with more time on defense. Randy GregoryA 2015 second-round pick would be the player with the second-longest time.
Dallas has signed the defensive end Tarell Bashamas well as defensive tackles Carlos Watkins Y Brent Urban in this offseason.
“You can’t have enough 6-5, 260 or 265-pound athletes on your team,” he said. McCarthy.
With the farewell of the coordinator Mike Nolan and the hiring of Dan Quinn as his replacement, the defense of the Cowboys will have a new boss, but not necessarily a new image, since McCarthy He indicated that they will carry out a scheme similar to last year.
The defense ranked 31st against the run, 23rd in yards allowed per game, and 28th in points allowed last season. He tied for seventh with 23 steals.
“When you look at our team from 2020 to 2021, the biggest challenge is clearly on defense,” he said. McCarthy. “It’s something we thought was necessary … but it’s not a start over situation. We were able to build on some of the things we accomplished last year.”
Information from John Keim was used in the writing of this note.
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