The Dallas Cowboys made it clear that their No. 1 goal this offseason was to improve the defense. That wasn’t going to be too hard, considering they allowed the most points in franchise history last season, but it was going to take a lot of work to get this unit back to being even an average group.
The front office is hopeful that the veteran additions (Jalen Thompson, Rashan Gary, Dee Winters, etc.), along with the incoming rookie class, will help turn around this unit. There is also an expectation that Christian Parker, the team’s new defensive coordinator, could raise both the floor and ceiling in Dallas.
But for the Cowboys to really turn it around on defense this year, they are going to need several players to outperform expectations. And one obvious candidate is second-year pass rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku.
Donovan Ezeiruaku could be the key to success for the Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys added Rashan Gary and Malachi Lawrence this offseason to their pass-rush unit, but they also lost two key contributors in Jadeveon Clowney and Dante Fowler. They believe the additions of Gary and Lawrence will make them significantly more athletic in the front seven, and that’s a big sticking point for Parker, who will ask the pass-rushers to play more in space.
However, the one thing the Cowboys lack in their pass-rush room is the one player who can consistently win in one-on-one situations. The hope is that Lawrence could get there in time, but don’t rule out Ezeiruaku becoming that player.
In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, Bradley Locker named his All-Breakout Team for the upcoming season, and Ezeiruaku was listed as a candidate. Locker believes that Ezeiruaku could become the next great pass rusher in the NFL, and here is a snippet as to why:
“Despite sliding to the second round, Ezeiruaku turned in a solid rookie campaign with a 66.8 PFF pass-rush grade, the second-best among qualified newcomers at the position. What’s also appealing about Ezeiruaku is how good he looked against the run, sitting in the 85th percentile in run stop rate (8.1%) and the 73rd percentile in PFF run-defense grade (62.8). Based on his Year 1 metrics, tremendous bend and quick hands, he could take things up a notch in his second pro season.”
One of the biggest pre-draft knocks on Ezeiruaku was his inability to stop the run. While he wasn’t a bad run defender at all during his time at Boston College, there was an expectation that his lack of elite size and strength could be a problem at the next level. That was the case early in his rookie season, but by midway through the year, he was arguably the best run-defending EDGE rusher on the roster.
It’s important that the Cowboys have EDGE defenders who can stop the run, but where they really need Ezeiruaku to take a step is as a pass rusher. Ezeiruaku showed flashes of this as a rookie, as he had seven games where he totaled at least three pressures, according to PFF Premium Stats. He only recorded two sacks on the season, but his consistent pressure suggests that he could be in for a breakout year in 2026.
The one thing that could prevent a breakout season for Ezeiruaku is injury, as he is rehabbing from offseason hip surgery. While all reports and indications are that he’ll be full-go for training camp, it’s fair to worry about a pass rusher who is dealing with such a significant injury.
But assuming that Ezeiruaku is healthy and ready to go for the regular season, he has a chance to take a huge step forward in Year 2. And if he truly breaks out the way that several people anticipate, such as Pro Football Focus, he could be the type of defender that dramatically raises the ceiling in Dallas.
The Cowboys just don’t have anyone else on the roster with his natural pass-rushing ability, and while he won’t replace Micah Parsons, he’s got the potential to be a high-end starter on the right team. Dallas is banking on that upside to hit this season.
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