It has been easy to poke fun at Jerry Jones over the past few years amid the Dallas Cowboys' painful mediocrity. But one thing that you can't take away from the owner and general manager of America's Team is that his track record in the NFL Draft has been nothing short of impressive recently.
That said, exceptions exist for every rule. For every CeeDee Lamb, Tyler Smith, or Tyler Booker taken, there's a Mazi Smith. The Cowboys have also found some good players in Round 3 in recent years, like DeMarvion Overshown, Cooper Beebe and Jalen Tolbert. But Marist Liufau hasn't panned out.
The hope is certainly that the 2024 third-round finds his footing during his third season after the offseason hype failed to materialize a year ago. A position change from off-ball linebacker to edge rusher could give him a shot in the arm, but he's quickly running out of leash in Dallas.
Jones may need to act accordingly.
Cowboys' 2024 3rd-rounder Marist Liufau is running out of leash in Dallas
During his first professional campaign, Liufau was a rotational linebacker and started nine games. But he really struggled in coverage and got picked on when his role increased at the end of the 2024 season. Liufau graded poorly across the board according to PFF; however, he was just a rookie.
In 2025, though, Matt Eberflus seemingly had no use for him. That's not necessarily a big indictment, given how Eberflus' unit performed in Dallas, but Liufau's defensive snaps were more than cut in half in his sophomore campaign. He was a mainstay on special teams and an afterthought at linebacker.
Unfortunately, in those limited opportunities, Liufau continued to be a liability in pass coverage and missed 28.0% of his tackle attempts. That's just not going to cut it at the NFL level. So what did Christian Parker decide to do when he came to The Star?
To move the short but long-armed Liufau to the edge. There, perhaps his lack of coverage chops won't be exposed, and Liufau can just focus on getting after the quarterback and stopping the run. This feels like the only way to get the most out of him headed into Year 3.
Let's be honest, though: This is a Hail Mary. Changing a player's position after two seasons isn't exactly a vote of confidence, nor is it a sign that the staff likes what it has seen on film. Liufau is clearly on his last leg, and if this little experiment doesn't pan out, he could be kicked to the curb.
Jerry Jones urged to admit defeat and consider trading OLB Marist Liufau
All of that said, it would be fairly harsh to just cut ties with a recent third-round pick and get no compensation for him. Yes, Liufau was drafted to fit in Mike Zimmer's defense, but Jones clearly saw something in him, otherwise he wouldn't have reached for him in the heart of Day 2.
So, our friends at Bleacher Report had a solution: Dallas should get what it can for Liufau in a trade.
"Dallas Cowboys: Trade edge Marist Liufau for a late 2027 pick
"Under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker, Liufau will transition to edge-rusher. In two years as an off-ball linebacker, he has been unable to make a significant impact. The former third-rounder has 80 tackles (five for loss), 2.5 sacks and three pass breakups in 34 games (14 starts).
"If Liufau struggles with a move to the edge, the Cowboys could shop him before final roster cuts. Teams in need of a rotational pass-rusher may see untapped potential in the 25-year-old at his new position."
Trading Liufau would be Jones throwing in the towel. And there's nothing wrong with knowing when to cut your losses, but is a late-round pick more valuable than Liufau at this juncture? That is obviously for Jones and Brian Schottenheimer to decide. But let's look at the defensive end depth chart.
Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku should be starters, and Malachi Lawrence figures to be a key player right away as well. Then, the Cowboys have James Houston, Sam Williams and rookie LT Overton next up in the pecking order. Oh, and Dallas recently signed edge Charles Snowden.
This is a massive uphill battle for Liufau. After seeing his snaps fall off a cliff and being asked to change positions, he is already running out of leash. And if Liufau doesn't snap into shape during training camp, then Jones may be forced to admit defeat on ever drafting him.
Add us as a preferred source on Google