Patrik: Yours is an intriguing question, indeed. The thing is, when the Cowboys weren’t able to stop the run anymore than a wet paper towel could stop a bullet, but owned the best pass rush in the league, it didn’t translate into playoff success. I’m of the mindset that you better figure out how to have both, because you can, and I’ve seen it in other championship defenses over the course of NFL history, recently as well. The Eagles’ defensive line tortured the Chiefs in the most recent Super Bowl with both run defense and pass rush, and trading to acquire Kenny Clark after signing Solomon Thomas and extending Osa Odighizuwa tells me they’re all-in on stopping the run, finally. They simply need the pass rush to wake up and, when they do (e.g., Jets), for the run defense to not have a bad day at the office in that game. I’m not picking a poison when I know I don’t have to, and shouldn’t be asked to.
