The Dallas Cowboys returned to their historic 4-3 defensive front following the 8-8 season of 2012, which also included the financially-driven departure of franchise sack-leader DeMarcus Ware. Eight years operating out of the 3-4 defensive front never yielded a championship-caliber defense and it’s a solid argument that this very weakness is why now-retired quarterback Tony Romo never advanced to an NFC championship game, let alone a Super Bowl.
In each year since ’12, the Dallas Cowboys have spent exactly one first-round draft pick on a defensive linemen and the results are obvious.