The Dallas Cowboys finally delivered a competent defensive performance. It's hard to put too much stock into it given the Las Vegas Raiders’ struggles, and the defense likely won't be able to replicate that level of dominance. However, Monday's showing was encouraging enough to suggest they can be competitive as they hit the gauntlet of their schedule.
It obviously helps to add an All-Pro talent in Quinnen Williams, and the long-awaited returns of DeMarvion Overshown, Shavon Revel, and Malik Hooker paid huge dividends. However, Matt Eberflus deserves a lot of credit, both for diversifying his scheme and making long-overdue personnel changes.
In the secondary, Kaiir Elam, arguably the worst player on the defense this season, didn't play a single defensive snap. It's no coincidence the secondary turned in its best game of the year with Elam on the bench
Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus made long-overdue changes in win vs. Raiders
Here's how the cornerback rotation shook out. Second-year pro Caelen Carson was the only CB to play every snap, followed closely by DaRon Bland.
Player Snaps
Caelen Carson 60
DaRon Bland 57
Reddy Steward 22
Shavon Revel 19
Kaiir Elam 0
As it should be.
It stands to reason that Revel's workload will increase with each passing week. The Cowboys are being smart with Revel's snaps, given his last game action was last September with East Carolina. It's only one game, but he certainly looked the part. If his return means that Elam is now on the periphery of the rotation, that is fantastic news for the defense.
On top of Elam, Eberflus finally reduced Kenneth Murray's snaps.
Much to the chagrin of Cowboys fans, Murray seldom came off the field in the first nine games. With Overshown back and Logan Wilson playing in his first game since he was acquired via trade, the linebacker rotation looked a lot different against the Raiders.
Player Snaps
Logan Wilson 34
DeMarvion Overshown 31
Kenneth Murray 26
Shemar James 26
Marist Liufau 15
A lot of Cowboys fans would like to see Murray and Liufau flipped. Nevertheless, Eberflus deserves credit for tweaking the pecking order. It was feared that Murray would still lead the way in snaps until Wilson, sharing the green dot with Murray, got fully acclimated.
It is highly encouraging that Eberflus has proverbially crowned Wilson as "the guy" in the linebacker room in his first game with the team. Murray admittedly had a good game in Las Vegas, but he previously hadn't played fewer than 59 snaps in a game, per Pro Football Focus. He had averaged 67.7 snaps per game.
The Cowboys don't have the horses to fully bench Murray, but slashing his previous snap share in half will only help the defense maintain a competent level of play against better offenses.