Texas Tech football alums: Kerry Hyder continues to shine for Dallas Cowboys

Saturday night, former Texas Tech football player Kerry Hyder had another strong showing in the preseason for the Dallas Cowboys.

One of the most underrated players in the last decade of Texas Tech football, Kerry Hyder, is making a splash in the preseason as he looks to secure a roster spot with the Dallas Cowboys.  Saturday night, he helped further his case with a pair of sacks in a 34-0 win over Houston.

After signing a one-year deal in Dallas this offseason, the Austin native faced stiff competition along a deep and talented Cowboys defensive line.  But now, he seems to be a favorite to be one of the 53 men that will make the Dallas roster to begin the season.

In the Cowboys second preseason game against the Rams, Hyder was credited with three tackles.  And he was even more of a factor against the Texans as he was a consistent nuisance in the offensive backfield.

"“Where Hyder has shown his versatility is lining up at both tackle and end,” scout Bryan Broaddus of DallasCowboys.com said following the second preseason game.  “…The Rams had a hard time blocking him at both spots.“There were several snaps where he was able to affect the quarterback in the pocket, making him have to get rid of the ball quicker than he wanted to.  His redirection of Darrell Henderson in the flat on a screen was outstanding recognition and finish on his part.  It’s never easy to bring down a running back in space.  Hyder is not going away.”"

The 270-pounder is displaying the type of burst that we haven’t seen from him since he tore his Achilles tendon in the preseason two years ago while playing for the Detroit Lions.  That unfortunate injury came after a 2016 in which he led the Lions with eight sacks.

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Last season, he returned but was not at full strength.  Appearing in just seven games, he recorded only six tackles and a single sack.   For his career, he’s amassed 42 tackles (12 for loss), 9.0 sacks, and a fumble recovery.

In 2019, he could prove to be a nice insurance policy for the Cowboys who have a pair of suspended defensive ends on the roster.  In February, Randy Gregory was suspended indefinitely after testing positive for substance abuse for the fourth time in his career.  That was disappointing for Dallas given that the former Nebraska standout is coming off a career-high 6.0 sacks in 2018.

One man Dallas brought in to take up the slack for Gergory is veteran Robert Quinn, who had 6.5 sacks last year in Miami.  But he has been suspended for the first two games of the year for also violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.  What’s more, he’s had surgery on his wrist during training camp, keeping him from working out with his team.

Therefore, it is easy to see how Hyder can help the Cowboys.  He’s proven to be one of the best pass-rushers on the team thus far, a skill that will always be highly valued in the NFL bu something that we did not see him do with regularity in college.

As a Red Raider, he did not have the opportunity to rush the passer off the edge as often as he has in the NFL.  Playing as an undersized tackle for a defense that was woefully thin in the middle of the line, he had 11.0 career sacks to go along with 176 tackles and eight forced fumbles.

But now that he’s back at his natural position, Hyder is proving that when healthy, he is a disruptive force.  And that is the type of player no NFL team is going to want to part with.