DALLAS — Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware is impressed with the way the current team's pass rush is developing cohesion and effectively rushing the passer.
Ware, who played with Dallas from 2005-13 and collected 117.0 sacks, the most in club history, sees a maturity developing across the unit after the Cowboys' 27-20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field.
"I think they matured a lot and they were having a lot more consistent rush, especially with DeMarcus Lawrence," Ware said Monday at the Social Service Center where the Cowboys were handing out early Thanksgiving dinners to the Salvation Army. "You can see [Tyrone] Crawford in there. All the guys, you can see they're not just a young team. They're not playing like a young team anymore making mistakes."
The Cowboys defense is tied for the third-fewest plays of 20 yards or more in the NFL with 28. However, the defense has the fifth-highest third down conversion rate in the NFL with opponents converting the down 44.9 percent of the time. Furthermore, the Cowboys defense has produced 10 takeaways on the season, the 22nd-most in the league. In Philadelphia, the defense held the Eagles to 4-of-10 on third down, intercepted quarterback Carson Wentz, and only had three plays of 20-plus yards.
"They're actually being very effective with what they're doing, and you can see last night how they played," Ware explained. "Even like Jaylon Smith being able to rush the passer, and [Leighton] Vander Esch, you can see -- they're young, but they're playing together and they are starting to click. And that's really what's going to win them football games."
The next step for the defense to take is to produce even more takeaways. On the interception front along, the Cowboys have the fourth-fewest in the NFL with three, though the defense does have the propensity to collect fumbles with six on the year, eighth-best in the league.
"That's what you have to do," Ware said. "You have to get turnovers, especially at the beginning of the game and get teams behind, you can really turn up the heat in the pass rush."
Are you as impressed with the defense in Dallas as Ware or do you think there is still more room for improvement? Share your thoughts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.