Ascent Sports Official Website

Jay Ratliff, a seventh-round pick who was hardly a star at Auburn, is having the best season of any Cowboys defensive player.

Better than Greg Ellis. Even better than DeMarcus Ware. And it's not even close.

Ratliff is playing that well.

He has 20 tackles, which might not sound like much after five games. For a nose guard, it's a fantastic number.

That's because he's the one player who knows he's going to get double-teamed every play. It doesn't matter.

He does a wonderful job of combining his skill of quickly shedding blockers and playing within the confines of Wade Phillips' slanting defense to make play after play after play this season, his first as a full-time starter.

He started 15 games last season, but a season-ending injury to Jason Ferguson provided the impetus. Ratliff played so well last year that Dallas signed him to a six-year deal worth $20 million and turned over the nose guard position to him.

He has done more than uphold his end of the bargain.

He also has three sacks, making him one of the Cowboys' best pass rushers. He's relentless on the field and plays with a passion that spreads to his teammates.

Here's some perspective: Ratliff is only 10 tackles shy of the career high he set last year and needs one sack to tie his career high set two years ago.

And he should only get better.