Selecting the 11 most important and influential members of the 2017 Cowboys defense is a more difficult task than selecting 11 from the offense. With the powerful offense, the snaps are only distributed to 13, 14 players. On the defense, everyone plays. Both the defensive line and secondary plan on rotating several players, and only one of the linebacking positions is etched in stone.

For this exercise, the process will be all about who would be the most difficult to replace, combined with how influential their position is to the grand scheme of things. The process yielded a very surprising No. 1 defensive player.

Opinions are subject to change, but for now, here are the Top 11 defenders for the Dallas Cowboys.

Honorable Mention

Anthony Hitchens and Cedric Thornton have been quite impressive in the offseason work. Demarcus Lawrence has the best edge speed of any of the defensive ends. Benson Mayowa led the team in sacks in 2016. Jourdan Lewis could easily end up the best of the four DBs drafted in 2017. Nolan Carroll was the biggest free agent signing, yet all of these players are on the outside looking in. That’s how heavy the rotation is for the Cowboys’ defense.

No. 11: DL Tyrone Crawford

For all the crap Crawford takes for his enormous contract, it’s not his fault the Cowboys paid him for performance he had not yet achieved. Simply evaluating the player Crawford is, he gives pass rush ability from the inside and also sets a pretty decent edge as a strongside defensive end. He might not get huge sack numbers, but he does consistently get into the backfield. He’s a key piece for Rod Marinelli’s rotation, even without being what they thought they wanted out of a starting three-technique.

Damontre Moore Orlando Scandrick Taco Charlton David Irving Chidobe Awuzie Jaylon Smith Anthony Brown Byron Jones Sean Lee Maliek Collins

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