What players do you expect to break out in 2025?
Next season is full of unknowns as we sit early in the offseason for the Dallas Cowboys. Who’s the next head coach? What players are coming back? Who will the team draft or bring in during free agency? And those questions are just the tip of the iceberg.
Here are five breakout candidates poised for a big year next season with the way the roster currently looks. If anything this will help stir some optimism into fans at this uncertain time.
Sam Williams
The Ole Miss defensive standout was ready to have a big season last year, but unfortunately an early injury ended all hopes for Williams. The good news is that he is extremely positive and upbeat about his recovery, and ready to take the bull by horns. With inspiration coming from his family, Williams is ready to get back to it and show everyone that his fast get-off and hot motor is far from cooling. Williams could take a lead defensive end role, so expect big things.
Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images
Marshawn Kneeland
Kneeland had a pretty conservative rookie year, but with so many potential departures on the defensive line, Kneeland is set to take a heavy workload this year. DeMarcus Lawrence, Chauncey Golston and Carl Lawson are all set to hit free agency. This means Kneeland is potentially in line to grab a defensive end position. Along with Sam Williams and Micah Parsons, he should at minimum be in a rotation at the defensive end spots that, hopefully leading to a rise in production.
Jalen Tolbert
As of right now there’s no wide receiver in the WR2 spot with Brandin Cooks hitting the free market, so that means Tolbert is currently ready to see a breakout year. The team has no shortage of WR3’s on the roster but Tolbert is the leader of that pack. We saw a great run of production toward the end of the season from Tolbert as he scored three touchdowns in the last four games, and in the final game against Washington he was two yards short of breaking the 100-yard mark in a single game. The only thing hindering Tolbert from a possible breakout next year is the likelihood of the team drafting a receiver early in the draft. But if we see the team pass on receiver in the first two rounds of the draft, that means the coaches feel confident Tolbert can be the breakout WR2 we’re talking about right now.
Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images
Marist Liufau
The rookie linebacker had a great latter-half of the season which should leave Cowboys fans optimistic about the future of the linebacker position in Dallas. DeMarvion Overshown was an outstanding talent and was a real force for most of the year. While Overhsown was a missile attacking quarterbacks, Liufau was quietly developing and waiting patently for his chance. His chance came, and with each passing week Liufau started playing more confidently and more consistently, becoming a huge defensive playmaker. His speed and lateral mobility is a great foundation for his sophomore season where he’s set to take on a bigger snap share.
Josh Butler
The Cowboys were set as huge underdogs against Washington in Week 12. What Vegas and the oddsmakers weren’t counting on was Josh Butler coming in to start opposite DaRon Bland and dominate the game. There are massive questions on what the cornerback position will look like next year, one of those questions is how soon can Josh Butler return from his ACL injury he suffered in late November. The good news is Butler is under contract this season, so as soon as he can get back into training and back on the field we should expect a return to the mini breakout he had in the back half of the 2024 season.
Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images
