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Weak Cowboys pass rush 'sticks out like a sore thumb'

Joe Robbins / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones is not impressed by his team's ability to pressure opposing quarterbacks.

The Cowboys will be without defensive ends Demarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory for the first four games of the season due to suspension. After refusing to re-sign Greg Hardy following a disappointing season in Dallas, there are no players on the roster who have registered 10 sacks in a season, and Jones doesn't expect that to change.

"On paper, I don’t think we have anybody who has ever had 10 sacks in a season," Jones said, according to Drew Davison of the Star-Telegram. "That sticks out like a sore thumb."

Second-year pro David Irving has half a career sack, but owner and general manager Jerry Jones has been impressed by his performance in minicamp and expects his team to use multiple players, like Irving, to generate a pass rush.

"A couple guys the last couple of days have really shown some aptitude out there," Jerry said. "In Irving’s case, he looks really apt outside and looks like it might fit him a little bit naturally even as much or more as inside.

"I do feel good about our numbers. We need to have as few disruptions or compromises in camp as we can. We need all these guys out there taking reps. Not from the standpoint of evaluating, but from the standpoint of getting their reps so they can come in and do a rotation when we open against the Giants."

The Cowboys will try to use a rotation including Irving, Ryan Russell, Charles Tapper, and Benson Mayowa to generate a rush off the edge. Stephen hopes the group of inexperienced defenders can work together to make up for the lack of star power.

"We might not have a 10-sack guy, but if we can have six five-to-seven sack guys, we’ll get the sacks," Stephen said. "We’ve just got to do it by committee and figure out a way to get pressure on the passer. I think we can."

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