Blogging The Boys
The defensive end room is pretty full for the Cowboys.
When the Dallas Cowboys head into training camp next month, some roster positions will have more room for discussion than others. Outside of Micah Parsons’ contract, there isn’t much left to talk about at defensive end. Four players appear to be roster locks, leaving the rest of the prospects fighting for perhaps just one last spot on the depth chart.
Whatever his long-term future is, Parsons will be here in 2025. So will second-round rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku, regardless of how well he does or doesn’t perform this summer. Even the slowest of starts rarely knocks a Day 2 pick off the roster. Parsons and Ezeiruaku are the two surest things to make the team, far above any roster bubble.
Two other players we consider locks are veteran Dante Fowler and second-year prospect Marshawn Kneeland. Fowler returns to Dallas on a one-year contract after posting 10.5 sacks for the Commanders last season. With $5 million in guarantees, Fowler’s game would have to go off a cliff to not make the roster. He does turn 31 in August, but he should still have more than enough juice for a rotational pass-rushing role. Having played here from 2022-2023, Fowler is well-known to the team and they signed him for a reason.
Kneeland enters his second season with rising enthusiasm. He was flashing things last year but also missed six games with a meniscus injury. He’s been lighting up the practice field so far this spring, forging a clear path to replacing DeMarcus Lawrence as a primary run defender. Even if the offseason hype doesn’t translate to regular-season production, which is known to happen around here, it’s hard to imagine Kneeland not making the team still so early into his career.
So with the assumption that those four defensive ends are on the roster, that leaves just one or two more spots for others. Let’s look at some of the top candidates to claim those jobs.
The Cowboys have used three of their last four second-round picks on defensive ends. One reason is that their 2022 attempt hasn’t worked out so far. Williams has shown strong pass-rushing potential at times, registering eight sacks in his first two years despite only a bit role in the 26 games he played. But legal issues in 2023 raised character and liability concerns, and then a torn ACL in last year’s training camp robbed him of a great opportunity to change doubters’ minds.
Williams is back but now has shinier new toys ahead of him. At 26 years old and with just a year left on his rookie deal, he can’t afford further disappointment. He’s still got a chance if he’s clearly the best of the remaining bunch, but the Cowboys could easily lean toward saving $1.5 million on the cap and investing in younger prospects. Williams has to convince them that he’s worth hanging on to.
Another guy looking for a...
