In only his 2nd year in the NFL, Kyle Wilber is being given the opportunity to step up and make an impact for the Dallas Cowboys after DeMarcus Ware was put out with a quad injury.
“Look, the biggest thing from Kyle was he moved from a position where he was allowed and the defense was designed to help him make plays. Coaches asked him to move to outside linebacker, which in our defense isn’t a great position to make a lot of plays,” said Nikita Whitlock in a personal interview, a redshirt senior on the Wake Forest football team who played with Wilber on the defensive line.
Whenever Ware comes back, the Cowboys have a rookie looking to get noticed and earn his keep. Wilber became an outside linebacker during his time at Wake Forest University where he transitioned from defensive end to OL his redshirt junior year as the Demon Deacons moved to a 3-4 defense. Now, since his time with the Cowboys, Wilber has made the switch back to the defensive end position when Dallas changed their defense to the 4-3.
Whitlock continued about Wilber's switch between positions, saying, “I think [Kyle’s] biggest role was showing the team it’s not about an individual, but it’s about the team. He ended up sticking it out out there and it ended up being a good move for him."
A good move indeed. Wilber was thrust into the game after Ware was taken out against the Redskins and recorded a sack and a forced fumble in the Cowboys’ win that day. However, his big moment came this past Sunday as Dallas took down the Eagles 17-3. Wilber was given the chance to start against the Eagles (who are now 3-4 on the year) and put up one tackle. This was a solid contribution, though, as this was the first game Ware has missed in his nine-year career.
“He was a play maker, he was humble, always poised. He never got too down on himself. I think the biggest strength or the biggest attribute he brought to the team was passion,” recounts Whitlock. “He was really passionate about his teammates and his team.”
Wilber graduated ranked 13th in Wake Forest history with 195 tackles in 43 games, but ranked 9th with 35.5 tackles for loss, and 5th with 13.5 career sacks. He was definitely a leader for the Demon Deacons during his time at the school.
Dez Bryant was quoted in an ESPN article after Wilber’s performance versus the Redskins as saying, “What Wilber did last night, the whole team expects him to do the same thing next week. We have high standards as a team and that’s the only way you can win in this league. You have to have high standards.”
While Wilber may be more of a silent leader, now is his time to step up and prove why he deserves to be in the Cowboys lineup. Dallas is set to take on the 4-3 Detroit Lions on October 27th, and Ware is starting to run again this week. We'll have to wait and see how Ware responds in practice and what decisions are made come game day, but it is likely, provided Ware is healthy, that the Cowboys will want the four-time All-Pro defensive end back on the field.
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