The Dallas Cowboys starting the 2025 season with a 2-2-1 record was not a common guess. Powered by arguably the best offense in the league, but anchored down by defensive failures, change needs to come.
While the hope of being competitive this season is a dwindling thought, sights on the team's future can come into focus sooner rather than later.
Sometimes, cutting the dead branches is what's needed for the plant to flourish. So far, three Cowboys have been playing their way out of Dallas.
3 Cowboys who are playing their way out of Dallas
S Donovan Wilson
The safety room was an issue heading into the 2025 season, but it only took five games to showcase that there is an urgent need for change at the position. One of the key contributors to the horrific start for the defense is safety Donovan Wilson.
When utilized as a box safety, Wilson proved he can fit the run and attack the quarterback on blitzes. He had multiple sacks in three of his seven seasons, but has yet to register any pressure in 2025. Tackling ballcarriers was once a strength, but now it seems like age is zapping his athleticism away, and preventing him from getting good angles and wraps.
The lack of success doesn't lie only on Wilson, as defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus has been hesitant to dial up blitzes or any downhill defensive plays. What enabled the safety to be a force for the Cowboys over the last three seasons has been phased out of the playbook.
Coverage has always been a weakness for Wilson, but age and a shift to being more of a deep safety rather than in the box is setting him up for failure. It's not that he is not a good safety, but rather the clock is ticking, and what the scheme calls for does not align with his skillset.
Replacing him with the younger coverage specialist, Juanyeh Thomas, did not result in much change in the Week 5 matchup against the New York Jets, but considering he is five years younger with four fewer years in the NFL, the upside is with the change.
DT Mazi Smith
I'm not quite sure what would hurt the future of Mazi Smith more: playing or not playing. The disappointing former first-rounder has played only 51 defensive snaps, topping 18 in Weeks 3 and 5. He is on track to play the fewest defensive snaps in his three-year career.
The 337-pound lineman has not made an impact on the field, was a healthy scratch for the first two games of the season, and continues to be a negative talking point for the team. It's unclear how much longer the team can roster Smith, but it seems like it isn't much longer.
UFL standout Perrion Winfrey is expected to return to the team soon and is already expected to be ahead on the depth chart. He hasn't played a snap in the NFL since Week 13 with the New York Jets, where he played the only 13 defensive snaps he got all season.
The battle was won in training camp by Winfrey, but that is different than the regular season. If Winfrey walks in and plays half-decent, Smith is automatically a trade candidate. Come the offseason, it may be worth it to cut Smith and eat the $4 million cap hit, but save a roster spot. It's gotten to that point.
LB Jack Sanborn
Eberflus wanted to bring a stabilizing force to the Cowboys' linebacking corps for the 2025 season, especially with the awaited return of DeMarvion Overshown from injury. In a limited fashion under him with the Chicago Bears, linebacker Jack Sanborn was that guy.
Dallas struggled mightily against the run in 2024, and that's where Sanborn thrived. Averaging just under 14 snaps per game, Eberflus saw a high football IQ player who was good at the fundamentals and could thrive with more opportunity.
Now playing almost as many snaps in the first five weeks of the 2025 season compared to all 17 games in 2024, the linebacker has looked like a shell of what the defensive coordinator thought.
The 25-year-old is not the most athletic player and thus relies on his ability to read plays and attack early. Once the correct read was made, he was good at wrapping up the ball carrier or sitting in a zone while reading the quarterback's eyes. In 2025, Sanborn's strengths have evaporated.
Shemar James stepped up in Week 5 after Sanborn was put in concussion protocol, and he played as expected for a late-round rookie. It wasn't too much worse than Sanborn, but the upside of having an athletic rookie who has the athleticism to make up for a mistake is appealing, especially for next season.
On a positive note, the only player listed with a contract extending beyond 2025 is Mazi Smith. That means it won't cost anything to let Sanborn and Wilson walk in free agency. I doubt either Wilson or Sanborn will be traded or released mid-season. Letting them play out the season, albeit with fewer snaps, is likely the best route.
Smith would be a trade for anything candidate. With his value being as low as it's ever been, I doubt another team would be willing to do anything other than a late pick swap.
With a 2-2-1 record, the Dallas Cowboys can still compete despite some players disappointing as much as they have. With a blazing hot offense and a defense that can only get better, things should not be as dim as they are. It's unfortunate, but the trio of Smith, Wilson, and Sanborn has failed the team, and now their future is in doubt.