The Dallas Cowboys went bargain hunting in free agency on Wednesday, agreeing to terms on a deal with defensive tackle Dontari Poe. The team confirmed the deal on Friday.

Interestingly enough, Poe played on the same defensive line with Gerald McCoy last season, who was signed by the Cowboys last week. This fact has worried many fans, as Carolina was one of the worst teams against the run last year. In 2019, Carolina allowed 2,296 rushing yards (fourth-most in the NFL), 5.2 yards per carry (most in the NFL) and 31 rushing touchdowns (most in the NFL). Given that defensive tackles are often associated with run defense, it makes sense that fans would be worried about signing two from one of the few teams that was worse at stopping the run than the Cowboys were.

But when you turn on film from last year, it’s easy to see that McCoy and Poe were the least of the Panthers’ worries against the run. When those two were in the game, the Panthers were almost the inverse of the Cowboys. While Dallas struggled to stop the run because of poor defensive tackle play, Carolina struggled a lot because of poor play on the edges. The Panthers struggled mightily against misdirection, which is more about creating false steps and poor angles for second-level defenders and doesn’t have as big of an effect on defensive tackles -- just watch Carolina’s Week 8 matchup against San Francisco, when the 49ers piled up 232 yards (6.2 yards per carry) and five touchdowns on the ground.

This is why it’s important not to read too much into box scores, especially when evaluating individual play on the interior defensive line. Just because Poe played on a defense that struggled against the run, doesn’t mean his presence won’t be a boon to a Dallas unit that struggled immensely at times.

Let’s dive into some of Poe’s film to see what kind of impact (positive or negative) he can provide for the Cowboys.

More size inside to help vs. the run

Earlier this offseason, vice president of player personnel Will McClay revealed that the Cowboys were looking to add more size inside. Listed at 6-3, 346 pounds, it’s safe to say the Cowboys accomplished that goal by signing Poe.

As one might expect of a man his size, Poe possesses incredible lower-body strength. That, combined with his overall size, enables him to hold his ground and strain through contact on double-teams -- something Dallas’ defensive tackles were very inconsistent with. Here’s a great example:

I've gone through potential #Cowboys addition Poe's tape and here are some of my quick thoughts (will go more in-depth if signed with @dmn_cowboys):



- Very big with a very strong low body, which enables him to hold point and strain vs vertical doubles to keep LBs clean. pic.twitter.com/s7pz45qSSv — John Owning (@JohnOwning) March 23, 2020

On this play, Poe is aligned as the nose tackle shaded over the center who is primarily responsible for the A-gap between the center and left guard in Carolina’s gap-control defense. Once the ball is snapped, Poe does a good job of anticipating the double-team, so he’s able to stay square when initiating contact.

From there, he does a great job of maintaining good pad level while executing what’s called an anchor turn to hold his ground against two 300-pound men -- he “turns” his left hip in while “anchoring” his right foot backward with his toes pointed toward the sideline. This provides the same benefit as a kickstand does for a bike.

After that, notice how Poe is able to strain and eliminate any potential vertical displacement by Atlanta’s double. He was able to occupy both blocks to keep Luke Kuechly clean to attack the running back although Kuechly doesn’t do much with it, making a bad read and initially vacating his gap.

To better illustrate the aforementioned point about Poe not being part of the problem with Carolina’s run defense, pay attention to how the other defensive tackle -- Vernon Butler (No. 92), who is aligned as a 4i-technique between the right guard and tackle -- takes on the double-team. He gives up immediate vertical displacement and is only able to clean up the tackle because the right guard and tackle oddly came off of the double to pick up linebackers.

Having a nose tackle with Poe’s size and lower-body strength should be a boon to Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch because double-teams will have to hang on a little longer to secure the line of scrimmage, freeing linebackers to pursue the ball carrier without being immediately encumbered by blockers.

Quickness to penetrate

Considering he’s nearly 350 pounds, it’s impressive that Poe has any athletic ability at all.

He will never be mistaken for a great pass rusher, but his athleticism does allow him to be more than just a pocket pusher as an interior rusher. Here’s a great example:

- Flashes impressive lateral quickness to cross face and penetrate. Nice club-rip to cross face, get vertical and attack the pocket here. pic.twitter.com/HHCJzI3bJU — John Owning (@JohnOwning) March 23, 2020

Here, Poe is aligned as a shaded nose tackle in the A-gap between the center and left guard. Once the ball is snapped, he quickly darts right to attack the left guard’s (No. 77) outside edge with a concise club-rip. After he beats the guard’s hands, Poe utilizes a reach-and-run technique to get vertical and curve his rush toward the quarterback.

Near dominant when playing with proper technique

When Poe plays with proper pad level, hand placement and footwork, he is a near dominant player who bullies blockers, resets the line of scrimmage and creates chaos in opposing backfields. Here’s an example:

- When Poe plays with his hands and looks to create extension on contact, he's incredibly tough to handle on the LOS. pic.twitter.com/oozgCy9c6N — John Owning (@JohnOwning) March 23, 2020

On this play, Poe is aligned as a shaded nose tackle. Once the ball is snapped, he steps vertically and immediately fires his hands into the center’s frame, creating knock-back on contact and effectively resetting the line of scrimmage.

Poe is then able to press the center’s outside shoulder while pulling with his inside hand, turning the center and creating a soft edge to escape the block and make the tackle. The 49ers did an excellent job of getting a hat on a hat with their blocking scheme to set the stage for a successful run, but Poe’s ability to defeat his block threw a wrench into their plans.

One of the most difficult things for a nose tackle to do in a one-gap defense is maintain his gap when aligned on the play side of outside zone. One-gap defenses typically force their linemen’s first step to be vertical. So if a nose tackle is aligned on the right side of the center and the offense is running outside zone to the defense’s right, the nose will step vertically with his left foot first, even with the flow of the play moving right. This often enables the center to reach and cut the nose tackle off, creating a void in the defense.

The key for the nose tackle is to get that first step in the ground as fast as possible -- which enables him to quickly expand laterally to maintain his gap -- in combination with his outside hand pressing the center’s outside shoulder to prevent the center from executing his reach block. This is exactly what Poe does above.

Inconsistent pad level, hand technique and footwork

Unfortunately, Poe’s pad level, footwork and hand technique are nowhere near as consistent as they should be. Given his size, strength and surprising athleticism, he should be a more consistent force against the run who does more than merely occupy blocks or hold his ground. His dominance on a per-play basis is capped because of inconsistency in those three areas.

Let’s start with pad level. Here’s an example:

- As one might expect with a 6-foot-3, 345-pounder, Poe's pad level can swell at times, causing him to cede ground on contact on occasion. pic.twitter.com/qOXxy1UlT5 — John Owning (@JohnOwning) March 23, 2020

Here, Poe is aligned as a shaded nose tackle. After the snap, notice how his pad level swells a bit, allowing the center (No. 55) to establish leverage and drive Poe backward with a quick assist from the left guard.

Nevertheless, players with Poe’s size typically have some pad level concerns, which are mitigated some by their inherent size and play strength. The real worry with Poe is the incredible inconsistency in regard to his hand technique and footwork. This play is a great illustration:

- Unfortunately, Poe's hand technique & footwork are inconsistent. He often shoots his hands wide, which gives blockers access to his chest.



The trip caused the pancake here, but Poe was already put in a comprised position because of wide hands and narrow base after his get-off. pic.twitter.com/ePitvy71xR — John Owning (@JohnOwning) March 23, 2020

On this play, Poe is aligned as the shaded nose tackle between the center and right guard. Once the ball is snapped, his hands get too wide as he attempts to fit them on the center’s frame. This gives the center free access to Poe’s chest and immediately puts him in a compromised position.

To make matters worse, Poe’s first step -- which is supposed to be vertical -- is diagonal and lands on the same vertical line as his left foot (above picture). This creates a narrow base, inhibiting his balance. To compensate, Poe’s second step has to go incredibly wide in an attempt to re-establish a strong base. This causes him to trip and get emphatically driven to the ground by Green Bay’s center.

These issues continued to surface throughout Poe’s tape, though not always at the same time. When his initial footwork was subpar, it often compromised his balance and caused him to end up on the ground more often than he should. And when Poe’s hand technique had issues, it hurt his ability to control and discard blocks -- a big reason for his modest tackle totals in the last two seasons.

Final thoughts

While Poe has some frustrating inconsistencies that limit his effectiveness on a per-play basis, he still should provide a notable upgrade over the Cowboys’ nose tackles from 2019.

After watching Poe’s film, it does bring about some questions as to why the Cowboys didn’t opt for a more technically consistent nose tackle such as Mike Pennel (before he re-signed with Kansas City), Ndamukong Suh or Damon “Snacks” Harrison.

But it makes more sense when you learn that the areas in which Poe struggles most (leverage, hand technique and footwork) are the same ones new defensive line coach Jim Tomsula has proven capable of improving. The Cowboys must believe Tomsula’s tutelage can make Poe an even bigger upgrade than he already is for the team’s interior defensive line.

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