The Cowboys did an excellent job this offseason of adding talent and depth to positions of need. Whether it was wide receiver, defensive end, linebacker, or offensive line, the Cowboys’ front office made sure to add players to each of those positions via the draft or free agency. The one position they somewhat ignored was the 1-technique defensive tackle position.

After ignoring it in free agency and the draft, the Cowboys did add Oklahoma State DT DeQuinton Osborne to the roster as a undrafted free agent. Cowboys Nation really liked the signing because he was one of the few interior defensive lineman on the roster who had a 1-technique body and skill set. After rookie mini-camp and two weeks of OTA’s, the Cowboys decided to go in a different direction at the position after releasing Osborne and signing free agent DT Antwaun Woods.

Woods was a pet cat of mine in the 2016 NFL Draft coming out of USC. Coming in at 6-foot-1, 318-lbs, Woods has the ideal size to play as a nose tackle in Dallas’ 4-3 defensive scheme. Woods is a shorter defensive lineman so he plays with good natural leverage, and has plenty of power in his lower half and upper body. He has good footwork and hand technique that allows him to make plays up and down the line of scrimmage, as well disrupting the backfield with his power. Antwaun Woods is the definition of a Rod Marinelli kind of guy. He plays to the echo of the whistle and consistently chases down running backs to make plays down the field.

#Cowboys DT @AntwaunWoods_ making a nice play against the run in preseason of 2017. pic.twitter.com/zVuB4sa3PA — Connor Livesay (@ConnorNFLDraft) May 31, 2018

Woods isn’t super impressive athletically, but makes up for it with a great motor, good technique, and a large frame that is hard to move in the run game. Antwaun Woods isn’t a player who is going to make much of an impact rushing the passer, but he can be a quality two-down nose tackle in Rod Marinelli’s defense.

The former Tennessee Titan definitely isn’t what we would consider a “sexy” signing, but he is a guy who can make the 53-man roster and contribute on defense in 2018. With the interior defensive line room looking rather crowded, he’ll be an interesting guy to keep an eye on this offseason.