Which Cowboys Will Be the Hardest to Replace on Defense?

Earlier this week I laid out my picks for the three hardest players that Mike Yurcich will have to replace on offense this fall, now let’s take a look at the three departed defenders that the Cowboys will miss the most.

Tre Flowers

Flowers will be missed as the Cowboys’ leading tackler from a year ago as well as for his presence as a leader in the locker room, but he may be missed most because of the level of experience (or lack thereof) that the Cowboys have waiting behind him.

Oklahoma State returns plenty of depth at safety, but it’s mostly unproven. There are a few up-and-comers the likes of Thabo Mwaniki, Malcolm Rodriguez and Chance Cook as well as a slew of youngsters ready to cut their teeth like incoming freshmen Sean Michael Flanagan and Jarrick Bernard.

Former starting Star backer Kenneth Edison-McGruder moved back to safety this spring — a position he last played in high school — as a result of Jim Knowles’ 4-2-5 defensive scheme. But as far as the two spots vacated by Flowers and Ramon Richards, OSU returns exactly three career starts between Thabo Mwaniki (2) and Chance Cook (1).

Oklahoma State has to replace both starting safeties for the first time since 2014 so it’s no stretch to tab Flowers as one of the defenders OSU will most the most.

DeQuinton Osborne

Osborne came to Stillwater as a junior college transfer and made an immediate impact as a junior in 2016. He played in 11 games without a start but still came in third on the team in sacks (3.5) and grabbed 5.5 tackles for loss.

As a senior, he started every game, led the team in sacks (6.0) and tackles for loss (11.5). In fact, only Daniel Wise from Kansas had more sacks (7.0) among interior linemen in the Big 12.

But beyond the numbers, DQ was downright disruptive in the middle and wreaked havoc on opposing QBs.

That combination of speed and agility for his size — and nose for the QB — won’t be easy to replace.

Chad Whitener

Whitener may not be the flashiest defender we’ve seen come through Stillwater but he was solid and dependable and he was a big-time leader in the middle. Whitener was in the top 3 in tackles at OSU the last three years which included 33 starts, and he showed a knack for being in the right place at the right time.

As the Mike linebacker, Whitener had a lot more on his plate than just grabbing the nearest jersey or trying to knock someone out of their cleats. He had to read the offense, call the plays and make sure that everyone (including himself) is in where they need to be. That’s the biggest reason why OSU’s “QB on defense” these last three years will be so hard to replace. That and the lack of experience behind him.

But there are a few candidates to fill one of those two LB spots in Jim Knowles base defense. Justin Phillips is a playmaker with plenty of experience and I’d expect him to start, but keep an eye on Amen Ogbongbomiga, the redshirt sophomore, or Patrick Macon, the highly-touted junior college transfer who the Cowboys kept on ice last year.

Whoever it is that takes up the neck roll in Whitener’s absence, there’s likely to be some growing pains with a brand new scheme, some new faces both on the field and in the coaching staff.