EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The impact of Cowboys defensive lineman Michael Bennett was stunning on Monday night.
Bennett joined this team Oct. 26 thanks to another daring trade that was meant to upgrade the roster. The trade on the surface looked fantastic, and on the field Bennett delivered for a happy front office.
He recorded three tackles, a sack, four quarterback hits and two tackles for loss in the Cowboys 37-18 victory over the Giants.
“You saw what he did,” defensive end Robert Quinn said of Bennett. “What does it mean to bring a guy like that in? It showed tonight, an older guy who is experienced, been in big games and dominated big games. That’s great to have another presence out there to help this team win.”
The Cowboys offense was muddling along for about three quarters until 21 fourth-quarter points put the game away. The defense was doing everything possible to make sure another upset would not occur at MetLife Stadium. It compiled five sacks along with 11 quarterback hits and forced three turnovers.
The defense was thought to be a weakness around here, but it’s become an equal partner with this Cowboys unit.
Bennett was added as someone who could take pressure off DeMarcus Lawrence and Quinn as pass rushers.
“He’s a veteran player, he knows production,” Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said. “He just didn’t come into the group, he added to the group, and he’s done a nice job of adding with his experience and he did both.”
Bennett is someone who will not start, but will come in on third downs and passing situations. Opposing offensive coordinators are now worried about whom to block. Lawrence said the presence of Bennett as an interior lineman means he will see single blocks. The same for Quinn.
Lawrence had a sack, two tackles for loss and three quarterback hits.
Quinn had two tackles, half a sack and one quarterback hit.
And if the offensive line tries to take Bennett out of a game, it opens the door for fellow defensive tackle Maliek Collins, who played a strong game himself with a sack, two tackles, and a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit.
“They have a good pass rush and some guys up there who can do that,” Giants quarterback Daniel Jones said. “Credit to them, but I have to do a better job of getting the ball out and making sure we’re where we need to go up front and [with] protections.”
It seems this defensive line, once a weakness, is becoming a strength. And the Cowboys front is embracing Bennett.
Toward the end of the evening as slot corner Jourdan Lewis was returning a fumble 63 yards for a touchdown, Bennett was sitting on the ground watching the action down the field. After Lewis got into the end zone, some of Bennett’s teammates ran to him to lift him off the field.
It was such a strong beginning for a player who is doing everything to avoid any drama.
He didn’t speak with reporters last week and politely refused to talk after the game. In New England, where the Cowboys acquired him from, he stayed in the locker room during the national anthem to protest social ills against people of color.
Jerry Jones had an expectation Bennett would stand on the sidelines with this teammates when the anthem began. Bennett did that with a towel draped over his shoulders.
Why Bennett decided to change his mind is unknown. It doesn’t make his fight for social justice for minorities any less significant by not standing, though it is his right to do whatever he wants.
The fact he is standing for the anthem and making plays on the field will make his current team all the happier.
“I thought he was outstanding,” Jerry Jones said. “I thought he was impactful in there. I thought you could [see], the team in general, was feeding off what he was bringing and of course very likely he was feeding off what Lawrence was doing out there and what Quinn was doing. He’s really a great addition for us.”
You never know how trades will work in the beginning, sometimes you needs months, maybe a year or so before determining if it was a high-quality deal.
Monday night we discovered the Bennett trade was the right one.