The Dallas Cowboys' injury spiral continued when 2025 first-round pick Tyler Booker was ruled out for 4-6 weeks with a high-ankle sprain suffered in Week 3. Booker has been improving every week and has comfortably been the Cowboys' best rookie this season.
That included second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku, who's had a slower start than most expected given how productive he was in his final season at Boston College. Without a premier pass rusher to command double teams and chips, it's going to be a slow burn for Ezeiruaku.
It's too early even to grade Dallas' 2025 draft class, but one player can already be regarded as a whiff after his second team cut him. Seventh-round pick Tommy Akingbesote just got released from the Carolina Panthers' practice squad to make room for new signing Dan Chisena.
Cowboys' 2025 draft pick Tommy Akingbesote was released by the Panthers
Akingbesote was waived by the Cowboys during roster cuts. While the UCLA product faced long odds to make the team as a seventh-round pick, Dallas' other Day 3 rookies have fared pretty well. Fifth-rounders Jaydon Blue and Shemar James, sixth-rounder Ajani Cornelius, along with seventh-round choices Phil Mafah and Jay Toia all made the 53-man roster.
What is particularly damning for Akingbesote is that Toia, taken just 30 picks before Akingbesote, has played over former first-round pick Mazi Smith to start the year. While Smith was active for the first time all year in Week 3, that felt like charity. Toia has been serviceable early in his career.
It'll be interesting to see if the Cowboys look into adding Akingbesote to their practice squad. There is now an opening after the Texans signed defensive back Zion Childress off Dallas' practice squad, but don't count on Akingbesote filling that void. The Cowboys already have Earnest Brown and Adedayo Odeleye filling DT spots on the practice squad.
More importantly, defensive tackle has been a strength for the Cowboys this season. Osa Odighizuwa and Kenny Clark have been monsters in the trenches, combining for 14 pressures and seven defensive stops while posting respective PFF grades of 77.5 and 73.7.
If anything, Dallas should make another move for a pass rusher - not defensive tackle - because they've gotten virtually nothing from their EDGE room in three games.