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Ranking NFL 4-3 Defensive Lines By Weight: Giants Are The Heaviest, Cowboys The Lightest

Going purely by the weight of each projected starter, the Cowboys look like they could have one of the lightest defensive lines in the league this year. Is that a good or a bad thing?

Life used to be simple in a 3-4 defense. The fat guy was the nose tackle, the two other big guys were the defensive ends.

Today, the Cowboys find themselves in 4-3 defense, and things are getting a lot murkier weight-wise. Because it used to be that in a 4-3 defense you had two big guys who were the defensive tackles charged with plugging the middle, and you had two defensive ends who were a little more athletic than the tackles and were charged with rushing the passer.