Cowboys reporter Todd Archer breaks down the Cowboys, position by position, analyzing what the players did in 2014, what they can do in the future and what the team can do to improve the position in 2015.

Under contract: Jeremy Mincey, DeMarcus Lawrence, Tyrone Crawford, Josh Brent, Terrell McClain, Lavar Edwards, Jack Crawford, Ken Bishop, Ben Gardner, Amobi Okoye, Chris Whaley.

Free agents: Nick Hayden, George Selvie, Henry Melton, Anthony Spencer.

A look back: The Cowboys parted ways with DeMarcus Ware, the franchise’s all-time leader in sacks, and did not attempt to keep Jason Hatcher, who led the team in sacks in 2013. For a defense that is based on front-four pressure, the Cowboys entered 2014 without much of a pass rush.

Mincey was a solid free-agent pickup and led the Cowboys with six sacks. Melton had five sacks but never felt 100 percent in his comeback from a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Melton’s struggles allowed Tyrone Crawford to flourish. He might have been the Cowboys’ best defender during the season, not just the best defensive lineman. He found a home as the three-technique in Rod Marinelli’s scheme. You want more than three sacks, but he was coming off a torn Achilles and showed potential to be a cornerstone piece.

Hayden and Selvie were serviceable parts. Spencer’s recovery from microfracture surgery was a long one, but it paid off later in the season.

The Cowboys gave up a lot to move up to take Lawrence in the second round. He started the season on injured reserve because of a broken foot, missing the first eight games. He did not record a sack in the regular season but he had two in the playoffs, including the clinching play to beat the Detroit Lions in the wild-card round.

McClain had moments, but not as many as expected from his work in the spring in part because of an ankle injury that bothered him early and late. Brent returned to the Cowboys after his suspension was lifted and played in one regular-season game after hurting his calf. He returned for the playoffs.

A look ahead: The Cowboys have to treat the defensive line the way it has treated the offensive line in recent years. They need to upgrade the talent. Doing it all at once, however, is not likely.

The drafting of Lawrence started the process, but the Cowboys need to find more pass-rushers. They have decisions to make on players such as Melton, Spencer, Hayden and Selvie. Melton has a $9 million option the Cowboys will almost certainly decline. Spencer, Hayden and Selvie could be stop-gap guys as the Cowboys look to gradually rebuild.

Crawford, Mincey and Lawrence give the Cowboys a give the Cowboys a solid trio up front. McClain and Bishop have the ability to fill out the rotation. Crawford was coming on just as he suffered a thumb injury that ended his season. He can play end or tackle, especially in pass-rushing situations. Brent should be able to benefit from a full offseason after missing two seasons with legal problems. He remains a favorite of Jerry Jones.

Okoye, Gardner and Whaley are coming back from injuries that kept them out the entire season. The hope is they develop into solid backups.

A look out: The Cowboys have picked an offensive lineman in the first round in three of the last four years and they now have a line that is the envy of the league. They need to make the same commitment to the defensive line for the defense to progress from OK to good in 2015.

The Cowboys had just 28 sacks in the regular season. They need to bump that considerably. A strong pass rush helps the back seven produce more takeaways. That the Cowboys were able to get 31 turnovers is pretty remarkable. Imagine what they could do if they had a more consistent rush.

While there could be big names available in free agency, such as Ndamukong Suh and Jason Pierre-Paul, the Cowboys’ free agency approach is likely to be more about numbers than signing one player at a huge price. In letting go of Ware, the Cowboys were able to compensate with guys such as Mincey, Selvie and Spencer at roughly a third of the cost.

The draft is the likely spot for the infusion of talent. Sitting at No. 27 in the first round, it might be difficult to get a game-ready player, but guys like Alvin Dupree, Trey Flowers and Mario Edwards Jr. might be names to keep an eye at defensive end and Texas' Malcom Brown and Ohio State’s Michael Bennett could be names to watch at tackle.