The Dallas Cowboys went into the 2026 offseason with the goal of dramatically improving the league’s worst defense. Armed with two first-round picks, they needed to address their lack of pass rush and the secondary. Free-agent additions such as Jalen Thompson, Cobie Durant, and Jonathan Bullard helped improve the depth, but top-end talent was needed.
The selection of Caleb Downs should cover up a ton of the question marks at safety and will give Dallas a viable slot defender. But did they solve their pass-rush woes, especially considering that Dante Fowler and Jadeveon Clowney walked this offseason? That remains to be seen.
In a recent article by Aaron Schatz of ESPN, he wrote about every team’s biggest need going into the summer. And for the Cowboys, it was their lack of pass rush. Here is a snippet of what Schatz had to say about the EDGE rushers for the Cowboys going into the 2026 season:
“Rashan Gary, acquired from Green Bay, didn't have a sack in the final 10 games of last season. Donovan Ezeiruaku is coming off hip surgery and has been limited in the offseason. Sam Williams had just one sack in 2025.
James Houston had 5.5 sacks but couldn't play against the run. Marist Liufau is moving to the edge but hasn't played the position before. And first-rounder Malachi Lawrence is a promising rookie, but he's still a rookie.
ESPN doesn’t think the Dallas Cowboys improved their pass rush enough
The first move the Cowboys made this offseason was trading away a 2027 fourth-round pick for Rashan Gary and instantly reworking his deal.
While Gary is still making good money, his current cap hit reflects the type of player he is at this stage of his career, which is a good run defender and a mediocre pass rusher. However, Dallas had a need for that type of player, and Gary should fit well.
The big acquisition was the selection of Malachi Lawrence at No. 23, an explosive edge rusher from Central Florida. He’s not the most refined rusher or run defender, but he’s long and highly athletic. And yet, there are some who believe the Cowboys still need more help on the edge.
Schatz isn’t wrong to be skeptical. Rookie pass rushers tend to be inconsistent, especially those who are drafted outside the top-10. A prime example of that last year was Donovan Ezeiruaku, who was a more refined pass rusher than Lawrence coming out of school. There were plenty of games where he had success, but it was hard to rely on him week in and week out for pass rush.
Marist Liufau and Sam Williams are far from locks to make the roster, and Williams was brought back on a near veteran minimum deal. The roster could certainly use another proven pass rusher, but the pickings are rather slim at this point in the season.
The Cowboys know that you can’t completely fix a defense in one offseason. But they’ve made several moves that put them in a position to be a better overall defense in 2026. If they can find another proven pass rusher to pair with Gary, Ezeriuaku, and Lawrence, it could dramatically raise the ceiling of this defense.
Don’t be surprised if the Cowboys continue to monitor the markets of Joey Bosa and Haason Reddick as they look to add a bit more juice to the pass-rush room. They've made huge strides to fix this positional group, but the work isn't done yet.
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