Tyrone Crawford's offseason hype-wagon continues to kick up dust as it rolls through the summer desert.
Gregg Rosenthal recently broke down the defensive tackle's play for our "Making the Leap" series. On this week's Around The NFL Podcast, Rosenthal doubled down, suggesting Crawford could possibly be the Cowboys' best defensive player by the end of the season.
NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah compared Crawford to a "poor man's Ndamukong Suh." Many others are on the bandwagon predicting a break-out year for the 25-year-old defender.
Among those is Cowboys coach Jason Garrett who recently said the "sky is the limit" for Crawford.
"He's one of those players on the team that really kind of sets the pace for everyone," Garrett said, per the Dallas Morning News. "He's a great practice player, he plays hard in the games, and I think he's one of those guys that you point to as a coach and say, 'Play the way he plays.'"
The fourth-year pro isn't the biggest defensive tackle at 6-foot-4, 290 pounds (by comparison, Suh is the same height but 30 pounds heavier). However, Crawford's quickness against interior blockers gives him an edge in a penetrating scheme. After entering the NFL as a defensive end, he moved inside last season.
The defensive tackle said playing the three-technique in coordinator Rod Marinelli's system "just fits me better."
"There is still a lot to get acclimated with," Crawford said. "But Coach Marinelli found a spot he wants me to play. I am excited to play it. I definitely want to be that under tackle they want me to be and just be a force in there. I am working on it and that's what I am hoping to do come this season."
If Crawford lives up to the hype, the Cowboys could eventually deploy a pretty devastating defensive front with Demarcus Lawrence, Greg Hardy and rookie Randy Gregory.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast discusses Jason Pierre-Paul's firework incident, and reviews recent 'Making the Leap' candidates.
