The Dallas Cowboys made a splash move on Sunday night, agreeing to terms with Von Miller to bring the DeSoto native back to his home state. The Cowboys desperately needed a veteran presence for this pass rush unit, and now they have it.
Miller might not be ready to practice right away, but his arrival means other players now have to worry about their jobs.
With Miller coming in, that very well could mean one EDGE player will be left off the roster at the end of camp. At the onset, that player looks like it could be 2024 third-round pick Marist Liufau.
Cowboys' Von Miller signing may seal Marist Liufau's fate
Marist Liufau came out of college at Notre Dame as a typical outside linebacker. The Cowboys drafted him in 2024, hoping he could fit in as a rotational guy. After two full seasons, Liufau has yet to make a serious impact.
Liufau made night starts as a rookie, mostly due to injuries at the position. He was a strong fit in Mike Zimmer's scheme due to his size, and he had the production to prove it with 1.5 sacks and 50 tackles.
However, Liufau's role shrunk considerably under Matt Eberflus. He's now on his third defensive coordinator in as many years, and his identity crisis took another turn with Christian Parker and his staff converting Liufau into an edge rusher. Based on what Dallas evaluated when they drafted him, that is not Liufau's best fit.
With only 2.5 sacks in two seasons, the organization clearly went into this offseason not having a lot of confidence in Liufau to become a consistent pass rusher.
Marist Liufau needs to be lights out in the final two preseason games
Having already brought in Rashan Gary and Malachi Lawrence, along with Donovan Ezeiruaku, James Houston, and Sam Williams all returning, the odds looked bleak coming into camp for Liufau to make this team.
Now with Miller arriving, Liufau's hopes are even slimmer. He did have a flash play in the first preseason game where he came off the edge to tackle a Seahawks running back behind the line of scrimmage.
However, when it came to rushing the passer, Houston stood out the most with back-to-back sacks on one possession.
Liufau has two years left on his rookie contract, so Dallas might keep him around for depth. Unfortunately for Liufau, adding a future Hall of Famer who's expected to play right away pushes him to the very bottom of the depth chart at outside linebacker.
His days with the Cowboys might be numbered.
Add us as a preferred source on Google