IRVING, Texas -- At the end of last season, defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford couldn’t bench press 225 pounds because of a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder. Understand, Crawford bench-pressed that same weight 28 times at the 2012 NFL scouting combine.
The lack of strength made Crawford the equivalent of a 98-pound weakling on the defensive line, where a lack of strength made it easy for offensive linemen to push him around.
It showed in Crawford’s performance.
The Dallas Cowboys signed Crawford to a five-year deal worth $42.5 million last September because they believed he was a play-making defensive tackle, who would be a dynamic player in the Cowboys’ defense.