FRISCO, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli bestows nicknames on many of his players. Perhaps Jerry Jones should give him one: Miracle Man.

The talent currently on Marinelli's defense makes you wonder how the Cowboys are going to end a 22-year NFC Championship Game drought.

Five key defensive players -- safeties Barry Church and J.J. Wilcox, cornerbacks Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr, and defensive tackle Terrell McClain -- left in free agency, and it’s hard to see how the Cowboys are going to adequately replace the 2,625 snaps those players provided last season.

Look at the number of first-round draft choices starting on that defense. Safety Byron Jones, who has one interception in his first two seasons (and that was on an end-of-the-half heave), is the only one.

Some of the blame, if we’re honest, belongs to Marinelli, who is finicky when it comes draft picks. He’s reminiscent of former Cowboys coach Chan Gailey, who preferred to do more with less. A skeptic would say that’s an approach that brings less pressure because the expectations aren’t nearly as high as they would be with a unit stuffed with studs. Remember, Marinelli passed on defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd in 2012 because he didn’t consider him a quick-twitch player. He really liked defensive end Joey Bosa, who was drafted third overall by the Chargers last season, but he didn’t love him.

Just so you know, the Cowboys have five players who were picked in the first round starting on offense, and all but left guard Zack Martin are paid among the top 10 at their respective positions.

Defensive end Tyrone Crawford (ninth) and outside linebacker Sean Lee (fifth) were the only Cowboys defensive players whose salaries ranked among the top 10 at their positions.

Now do you understand why the Cowboys should call Marinelli the "Miracle Man?"

He's a motivator, a teacher and a Vietnam veteran, but he’ll need to be able to turn water into wine for the Cowboys to duplicate their defensive effort last season.

The Cowboys finished fifth in the NFL in points allowed (19.1) last season, but that was as much a product of the team’s ball-control philosophy and Ezekiel Elliott's running as it was defensive prowess. Dallas was among the best in the NFL in terms of time of possession, which kept its defense off the field.

This is a defense that didn’t generate many sacks (36) or turnovers (20) last season. And while nearly half of the Cowboys' defense has signed with the other teams, the rest of the NFC East has been fortifying their offenses.

The New York Giants, who finished second in the NFC East with an 11-5 record last season, added receiver Brandon Marshall. Marshall caught only 59 passes for 788 yards and three touchdowns last season -- you can probably blame the New York Jets' poor quarterback play -- but playing opposite Odell Beckham Jr. will allow him to see a lot of single coverage, which he should exploit.

Then there’s Philadelphia, which didn’t have a 1,000-yard receiver last season. The Eagles went out and added Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith. Jeffery has been a quality receiver when healthy. He didn’t get the money he wanted in free agency, so he signed a one-year "prove-it" deal. Smith, who was released by the 49ers, has a 17.0 career average per catch over six seasons. Those players should make quarterback Carson Wentz a better player.

Washington lost DeSean Jackson (Tampa Bay) and Pierre Garcon (San Francisco) but added Terrelle Pryor Sr., who had 77 catches and 1,077 yards in his first full season as a receiver after spending three years as a quarterback with the Oakland Raiders before joining the Browns in 2015.

Don’t forget Kirk Cousins hit the Cowboys up for 813 yards passing with four touchdowns, an interception and 11 completions of 20 yards or more in two games last season. And Cousins is one of several quality quarterbacks the Cowboys are scheduled to face this season.

Besides playing Wentz, Cousins and the Giants' Eli Manning twice apiece, the Cowboys will also face Russell Wilson, Carson Palmer, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers, Derek Carr and Alex Smith. Those are some of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, and the Cowboys will be going up against them with a revamped secondary.

For now, Jeff Heath is scheduled to start at safety for the first time in his career, and Nolan Carroll and Orlando Scandrick are the starting cornerbacks. The Cowboys need to find a safety and a cornerback capable of playing 50 snaps in the draft. They also need a pass-rusher.

Atlanta made the Super Bowl with four rookies starting on defense, so anything is possible.

It’s a daunting task, but one the "Miracle Man" is capable of pulling off.