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Arkansas Rebuilt Its Secondary, But Front Seven Will Have Final Say

Arkansas Razorbacks On SI·Andy Hodges·26 days ago
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When I covered the Dallas Cowboys in the early 1980s, Everson Walls arrived as a free agent out of Grambling and made the Pro Bowl at cornerback. People treated him like a shutdown genius. He was good, no question. But Walls was also lining up on the same side of the field as 6-foot-9 defensive end Ed "Too Tall" Jones, one of the most disruptive pass rushers of his era. Cornerbacks didn't roam all over the field in coverages back then and Walls was on Jones' side nearly every play he was with the Cowboys for years. When Jones retired, Walls wasn't nearly the same player. Quarterbacks had time to throw and coverage that once looked airtight became ordinary fast. That lesson applies directly to Fayetteville right now. The Razorbacks' secondary is better heading into 2026. But the front seven will decide how much better it actually looks, because a cornerback covering a receiver for three seconds is a completely different assignment than covering that same receiver for five.…

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