FRISCO, Texas -- Mike McCarthy said “second-year jump” so often in 2021 that it could have become a doozy of a drinking game, especially with the way NFL interception leader Trevon Diggs played in his second season.

There is a different kind of “second-year jump” the Dallas Cowboys are thinking of in 2022, and that’s what it can do in the second year of Dan Quinn’s defense.

In order to facilitate the “second-year jump,” the Cowboys wanted to keep as many players from their 2021 defense as possible for the sake of continuity. The biggest departure is pass-rusher Randy Gregory, who changed his mind after coming to an agreement with the Cowboys to sign a similar four-year deal with the Denver Broncos that guaranteed him $28 million. Dallas is not likely to retain linebacker Keanu Neal, who played 580 snaps, or cornerback Maurice Canady, but there is still a chance defensive end Brent Urban returns.

The rest of the key defenders are back, though -- starting with defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, who reworked his deal to guarantee him $30 million over the next two seasons.

“No. 1, D-Law was huge,” coach Mike McCarthy said on a call with local reporters attending the owners meetings earlier in the week. “Getting him back was huge. There is no doubt about it. So I slept better that night when that was resolved.”

The Cowboys also kept safety Jayron Kearse, the team’s leading tackler; defensive end Dorance Armstrong, who had one fewer sack (5.0) than Gregory last season; linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, who played his best football at the end of last season; defensive tackle Carlos Watkins, who started 14 games; and safety Malik Hooker, a favorite of owner and general manager Jerry Jones.

“I feel like we can build on the foundation we made last year,” Lawrence said.

The lone outside-the-building signing on defense in free agency so far is defensive end Dante Fowler Jr., whose career-high in sacks is 11.5 with the Los Angeles Rams in 2019. Quinn coached Fowler in 2012 with the Florida Gators and briefly with the Atlanta Falcons in 2020, so the Cowboys are hoping a reunion will raise his sack numbers -- although he had just 7.5 over the past two seasons in Atlanta.

“Defense definitely gives you that opportunity in playoff football to regulate and keep the game always within reach to win the game,” McCarthy said earlier in the week. “A great defense wins games for you. I know I'm an offensive-categorized coach, but frankly, the defense is so, so important. No doubt about it.

"I think our goal, we hit that last year of making a huge step defensively. I think with signing these veterans back, now we have an experienced defense along with those young guys who will be in Year 2. So I'm looking for that second-year jump by the young guys, the experienced guys, and I think we can take another step defensively.”

As the Seattle Seahawks’ defensive coordinator in 2013 and ‘14, Quinn had the No. 1 unit in terms of points and yards per game. In 2014, his second season, Seattle’s third-down and red zone work was not as good as it was the previous year. The turnovers dipped from Year 1 (37) to Year 2 (20), and the sacks fell from 44 to 37. But the Seahawks still went to the Super Bowl.

In 2016, his second year as head coach of the Falcons, the points and yards went from 21.6 and 347.6 per game to 25.6 and 371.2 per game. The third-down defense remained roughly the same (42.9% to 41.8%), but the turnovers dropped (27 to 20) and the red zone defense dipped (62.3% to 72.7%). The sacks went from 19 to 34.

Most importantly, however, the Falcons made it to the Super Bowl in his second season.

After a disastrous 2020 season, the Cowboys' defense had a terrific turnaround in 2021. It allowed 21.1 points per game (ranked seventh) and led the league with 34 takeaways. Diggs had 11 interceptions and returned two for touchdowns. The Cowboys scored five defensive touchdowns. Linebacker Micah Parsons was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, finishing with a team-rookie-record 13 sacks.

“The way [Quinn] motivates us as a defensive line to take over games, the amount of confidence and belief he has in us to be ourselves, I love that about him,” Armstrong said. “It encourages everybody and helps everybody play a little better.”

The Cowboys believe Parsons can make a “second-year jump” in 2022 after an amazing rookie season.

The front office and coaches believe second-round pick Kelvin Joseph can become a regular on the defense. Third-round picks Osa Odighizuwa, Chauncey Golston and Nahshon Wright all had moments. Fourth-round pick Jabril Cox is coming back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament but expected to take Neal’s role. Then there’s the picks they will make in the April draft to bolster the unit, and McCarthy hinted at post-draft free-agency work.

“I feel like we’ve got a bunch of great young guys in the room that’s good players, they listen well, they respect the game, and we got some good vets in the room that know how to play and respect the game and also want to get better and better," Lawrence said.

“Just go out there, make that bond in the locker room, understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses, just be able to grow with each other -- that will take us to the next level.”