The Dallas Cowboys have been busy adding veteran players to their defensive line over the last week. In fact, they have been so active that nearly half of the planned roster members were not on the team when training camp began. How are we supposed to feel about this level of turnover so close to Week 1?

In the span of about a week, Dallas traded DT Jordan Phillips and signed two free agents, DE Carl Lawson and DT Linval Joseph. Some have personal ties to the Cowboys’ coaches; Joseph played several years under Mike Zimmer in Minnesota and Lawson spent a year under assistant Paul Guenther in Cincinnati. All have considerable NFL experience and fit well into Zimmer’s scheme.

A few weeks earlier, Dallas had also signed lesser-known pass rushers Al-Quadin Muhammad and Shaka Toney. This came after Sam Williams’ season-ending knee injury, so the need was there, but it also showed that the Cowboys weren’t happy with their existing backup options. Toney has since been released due to injury, but Muhammad has done enough to be on the cards.

While roster moves in August are not unusual, the extent to which Dallas has reshaped the defensive line this month is unusual. Some say it’s the kind of activity they’ve been crying out for all spring, when the lack of depth was obvious. Even after the draft and the additions of DE Marshawn Kneeland and DT Justin Rogers, it was clear the Cowboys were thin at both positions.

The top of the order may not be affected much by this. Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence are still your main ends and Osa Odighizuwa is the top tackle. The only starter that could be affected is Mazi Smith, who has improved in his second training camp but is still in the development phase. We’ll likely see Phillips and Joseph get plays that backup options like Rogers, Albert Huggins or Carl Davis (now released) wouldn’t get. Hopefully this takes some pressure off Smith and allows everyone to be more effective in a rotation.

As a DE, Lawson comes in as at least the fourth man behind Parsons, Lawrence, and Kneeland. We haven’t seen enough of Muhammad or Tyrus Wheat to believe they’ll dominate the snaps, and neither Chauncey Golston nor Villiami Fehoko are pass rushers. Of those four guys, only one could actually make the roster right now.

While the new wave brings a lot of notoriety, it is not without significant risk. Lawson played just six games for the Jets last year and had zero sacks. Phillips was traded away from the Giants for next to nothing, suggesting he probably wouldn’t make the roster. And Joseph, who turns 36 in October, hasn’t played a full season since 2020.

These risks are mitigated by the fact that none of the veterans are expected to be full-time starters. Even if Phillips does get the occasional starter role in games, Mazi Smith will likely still have more overall snaps by the end of the year. As we’ve seen with Johnathan Hankins and Dante Fowler in recent years, a rotational role can allow some veterans to be their best on the field.

So if these moves were necessary to give the coaches and management more certainty, why did it take so long? Williams’ injury certainly changed the situation, but it had nothing to do with defensive tackle, where most of the changes have occurred. Why did Dallas wait so long to make these moves?

It’s never wrong to want to see what younger players can do. Smith obviously needed to be evaluated, but so did Kneeland, Rogers, Wheat and other young players. Rather than put obstacles in the game, the Cowboys let things stay rough for a while to see if any diamonds emerged. Obviously, they had a few things up their sleeve in case nothing came of it.

Also, remember that it takes two to tango. In some cases, particularly in Joseph’s case, veterans avoid the first few weeks of camp because they know their job and don’t need the strain. In 2022, Dallas signed OT Jason Peters in early September after he sat out the entire summer. He was still capable of coming off the street and contributing, even at age 40.

After a major injury and some uninspiring performances from their young players, the Cowboys are banking on the proven talent and experience of Jordan Phillips, Carl Lawson and Linval Joseph to provide immediate improvement. All will likely make the roster, and perhaps Al-Quadin Muhammad as well. That’s a pretty large portion of the 9-10 defensive linemen on the 2024 roster who weren’t on the team before August. You can either applaud management for staying vigilant during training camp or be annoyed that they weren’t as concerned earlier in the offseason. In the end, strategy will be judged by results.