{"id":691379,"date":"2026-01-20T14:51:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T14:51:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/691379\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T14:51:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T14:51:17","slug":"the-linebacker-archetype-the-cowboys-have-missed-since-2024-inside-the-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/691379\/","title":{"rendered":"The Linebacker Archetype the Cowboys Have Missed Since 2024 \u00bb Inside The Star"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every time a linebacker comes up with the Dallas Cowboys, the conversation immediately turns to speed, upside, and highlight plays. <\/p>\n

And why wouldn\u2019t it? Doesn\u2019t everyone want that type of player roaming the second level? <\/p>\n

I would love for the Cowboys to get that in the first<\/a>, but if that player isn\u2019t available, I\u2019m not chasing and overdrafting. <\/p>\n

I would chase a linebacker later in the draft. I would chase a linebacker archetype this defense has missed for a few years.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas <\/p>\n

The Type of Linebacker the Cowboys Have Missed<\/p>\n

The kind of player the Cowboys are missing at the second level is a Leighton Vander Esch<\/a> type, when he was at his best, not the injury-riddled player. <\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t about nostalgia, this is about a role, a type of player who can stabilize the middle of the defense that Dallas keeps pretending it can live without. <\/p>\n

When Vander Esch was right, the defense worked because it had structure<\/a>. He would line guys up, he could stop the run, and erase mistakes before they turned explosive. <\/p>\n

Since then, the Cowboys have chased traits: speed, athleticism, and upside. <\/p>\n

What they haven\u2019t replaced is that calming presence in the middle.<\/p>\n

\"Ohio <\/p>\n

This Isn\u2019t a Round 1 Linebacker Problem<\/p>\n

I am all for Sonny Styles or Arvell Reese if they\u2019re available at 12 or 20<\/a>, but let\u2019s start this conversation after round one. <\/p>\n

No second or third round pick means the Cowboys do not need to be overdrafting a linebacker and expecting him to be a savior.<\/p>\n

You fix it by finding a high-floor MIKE linebacker who knows how to play the position and doesn\u2019t wreck the defense when things break down.<\/p>\n

I believe this could be fixed on Day three. <\/p>\n

I dug through the 2026 linebacker class, and a couple of players stand out to me as the most Leighton Vander Esch-type linebacker the Cowboys could realistically target in the 4th round.<\/p>\n

\"Cincinnati <\/p>\n

Jake Golday Fits the Linebacker Archetype Dallas is Missing<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a player who feels like Vander Esch, the closest athletically, and structurally, Jake Golday is the guy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Golday isn\u2019t flashy or winning the combine. What he does is read plays quickly, triggers downhill, and cleans up mistakes. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s the part of Vander Esch\u2019s game people have forgotten. <\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t just an athlete, he was decisive and reliable. When the Cowboys\u2019 defense functioned, it was often because he found the unglamorous work. <\/p>\n

Golday plays the same brand of football. <\/p>\n

If you watched the Cincinnati Bearcats, not many did, you would have seen Golday take on blocks, play with discipline, and he doesn\u2019t freelance<\/a>. Coaches trust players like that, especially on early downs. <\/p>\n

In the 4th round, that\u2019s exactly the kind of linebacker this team should be targeting.<\/p>\n

\"Utah <\/p>\n

Lander Barton Is the Brain\u2014Golday is the Body<\/p>\n

I will throw in another player, to give options later in the draft.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for the mental side of that linebacker archetype, that\u2019s where Lander Barton comes in. <\/p>\n

Barton sees the field well, is instinctive, but he\u2019s not built to live in the middle<\/a>, taking on guards snap after snap. <\/p>\n

This is why I see Barton as a WILL linebacker, not a MIKE, who can play alongside Golday or DeMarvion Overshown. <\/p>\n

Golday feels like the guy who can stand in the middle and absorb punishment.<\/p>\n

Why Size Matters at MIKE Linebacker<\/p>\n

Speed is great, athleticism matters, but if you\u2019re playing MIKE linebacker in the NFL, size still matters. <\/p>\n

When Vander Esch was at his best, it wasn\u2019t just because he could run. At 6\u20194\u201d. 256 pounds, he could absorb contact, stack blockers, and still finish plays. <\/p>\n

Golday isn\u2019t that size, but at around 6\u20193\u201d, 240 pounds, he\u2019s close enough to survive inside. In an NFL weight room he could probably put on a few more pounds to help absorb some of the punishment. <\/p>\n

He may be built more to handle traffic instead of needing protection, but no one will know until he takes those first few snaps. <\/p>\n

Was this helpful?<\/p>\n

Thanks for your feedback!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Every time a linebacker comes up with the Dallas Cowboys, the conversation immediately turns to speed, upside, and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":691380,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2066],"tags":[4955,4707,230,229,257,2461,89201,7,73238,40523,13445,4135,6,12951],"class_list":["post-691379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas-cowboys","tag-2026-nfl-draft","tag-cincinnati-bearcats","tag-cowboys","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-dallascowboys","tag-draft-free-agency","tag-football","tag-jake-golday","tag-lander-barton","tag-leighton-vander-esch","tag-linebacker","tag-nfl","tag-utah-utes"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115927993018399223","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=691379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691379\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/691380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=691379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=691379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=691379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}