Blogging The Boys
Here is our most recent BTB Roundtable discussion.
Every week, we gather the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys and seek our writer’s perspective on each headline. Welcome back to the roundtable. This week we have Jess Haynie, David Howman, Tom Ryle, and Brian Martin.
Second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku is being tipped to make the 2025 NFL All-Rookie Team and some analysts say he could be a dark horse to watch for in the defensive rookie MVP race. At +2500, Ezeiruaku ranks 10th in the odds ranking for defensive rookie of the year, with Abdul Carter the firm favorite, but the Cowboys new edge rusher is turning heads.
Renowned for his explosive pass-rushing skills at Boston College, he’s battling to line up alongside Micah Parsons as a starter. CBS, Yahoo Sports and Sports Illustrated are just a few of the names that have mentioned Ezeiruaku last week and his elite skills.
Jess: It’s hard to say exactly where he’ll end up given the mix of edge-rushing talent. Dante Fowler was re-signed at $5 million in guaranteed money, so the team expects him to play. Marshawn Kneeland is also getting hyped up this offseason and should be on the field a lot as a primary run defender. And if Sam Williams still has the same skills after last year’s knee injury, he will compete for snaps. At the very least, Ezeiruaku will be in the rotation with a focus on pass-rushing opportunities. It will probably be similar to Fowler’s role in Dallas from 2022-2023, or maybe Dorance Armstrong’s if he outshines his peers quickly.
Brian: There should be quite a competition to see who replaces DeMarcus Lawrence opposite Micah Parsons in 2025. Donovan Ezeiruaku will be competing with Marshawn Kneeland, Dante Fowler, Sam Williams, and maybe even Payton Turner. Because of that, it’s nearly impossible to predict what kind of role Ezeiruaku will play as a rookie with the Cowboys. If he plays a prominent role I could see him having a 6-8 sack season.
Tom: I think that there is enough talent ahead of Ezeiruaku that he will not see much action through the first half of the season. I do think he will get some significant playing time because the unavoidable attrition of the NFL season, and he will finish with three or four sacks down the stretch. That’s not to say he is in anyway a miss. The team just won’t need to bring him along in a hurry.
Howman: I agree with Tom here, I don’t see Ezeiruaku getting a ton of snaps early on. Simply put, there’s too much talent ahead of him right now. Ezeiruaku had a lot of traits in college that historically translate very well to the NFL, so I could see him blowing up around the halfway point of the year and taking time away from someone else. I think...
