Dorance Armstrong enters the final year of his deal with more competition than ever
Dorance Armstrong was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 2018’s fourth round, with the intent to develop his raw size and talent as a pass rusheroff the edge. As a sophomore at Kansas Armstrong put up 10 sacks, the most for a Jayhawk since 2008, and added 20 tackles for a loss and three forced fumbles.
At 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds, at worse, he was a potential back up to Demarcus Lawrence when the star edge rusher needed a breather. Ideally, he could bend the edge opposite Lawrence and form a dynamic duo that could bring some chaos to opposing QBs. Three seasons in with almost no production as a pass rusher and Armstrong is on a bubble to make the roster at all in 2021. It wasn’t for lack of opportunity either.
Mike Nolan and Jim Tomsula seemed enamored with Armstrong in 2020, playing him at a high rate while a more productive pressure player in Randy Gregory was forced to split time.
At just 24 years old, it’s possible Quinn asks Armstrong to attack the QB more, now that bulk has been added to the defensive line to hopefully hold up better against the run. Armstrong has also had many years to build up his frame and that could help him produce more as well. The production hasn’t came yet, but one can see the reasons the front office was hopeful he’d emerge as more of a threat coming out of college.
Our 2021 Player Profile Countdown continues with No. 92, Dorance Armstrong. Jr.
Background Details
Position: Edge Rusher Age: 24 Height: 6-foot-4 Weight: 260 pounds Hometown: Houston, Texas High School: North Shore College: Kansas Draft: Round 4, No. 116 overall Acquired: 2018 NFL Draft
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Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
NFL Stats
Games | Def Interceptions | Fumbles | Tackles | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
21 | 92 | 15 | 1 | 0.5 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
22 | 92 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | |||||||||
23 | 92 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 33 | 21 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||
Player Profile
The scouting report for Armstrong out of Kansas reads like many of the defensive ends the Cowboys brought in under former defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli. Watching the tape of every defensive lineman on the Cowboys the last couple of seasons though, Armstrong would be one of the last choices for who was being described in report's such as Bleacher Report's Matt Miller's.
"Long armed edge rusher with impressive burst and agility on a frame that can be built up." "Raw athlete with the tools to be developed into a special edge-rusher . Smooth, twitchy mover." "Excellent burst out of his stance, can beat blockers with his length or first step." "Shows a variety of pass-rush moves and doesn't have to win with just speed. Likes to work inside or spin off blockers."
His negatives were even more shocking with Armstrong being too light to play 4-3 DE, not having the strength to hold up versus the run or set an edge. Fast forward three years and Armstrong has a total of only 2.5 career sacks, and his role has been an edge setter with size and length to replace Lawrence and still be ok up against the run when Lawrence needs a breather. Now on the bubble to make the team ad in the final year of his rookie contract, Armstrong definitely has the size and length Quinn has shown to covet. Can his overall athleticism betrays the likelihood he can beat out guys under team control for longer, such as Bradlee Anae, Ron'Dell Carter, or Chauncey Golston with more room to develop? Only time will tell.
You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or at Youtube on the About the Cowboys Podcast. This profile is part of our countdown series to the regular season.
No. 99: DT Justin Hamilton
No. 98: DT Quinton Bohanna
No. 97: DL Ron'Dell Carter
No. 96: DT Neville Gallimore
No. 95: DT Brent Urban
No. 94: DE Randy Gregory
No. 93: DE Tarell Basham
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