The Cowboys did a good job of upgrading on the defensive side of the ball this offseason.
While they may not have stolen headlines with flashy moves, the Dallas Cowboys made clear upgrades on both sides of the ball this offseason. Dallas saw the lack of depth that killed them in the 2024 campaign and made it a priority to ensure that does not happen again this upcoming season.
The Cowboys didn’t completely ignore their offense, but they made significantly more moves to upgrade their depth on the defensive side of the ball. In free agency, Dallas signed linebacker Jack Sanborn, who figures to be in the rotation on defense, to go with signing defensive linemen Dante Fowler Jr., Payton Turner, and Solomon Thomas. They also retained their top internal free agent on the defensive side of the ball, inking talented defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to a multi-year contract.
Dallas also made a couple of trades to acquire potential contributors on its defense. The Cowboys traded for Kaiir Elam and Kenneth Murray, two former first-round picks the team had plenty of reported interest in during their respective draft cycles. While there is a real possibility that neither of these players will make much of an impact, Dallas took a shot without giving up much capital in return, which is a worthwhile risk.
Adding to the defense didn’t stop there. While much of the focus pre-draft was on how the Cowboys could add some talent to their offense, Dallas lucked into selecting two first-round-caliber defensive players in the second and third rounds. The Cowboys selected edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku out of Boston College and Shavon Revel Jr. out of East Carolina in the second and third rounds, respectively.
Ezeiruaku, a rare talent who recorded the second-most sacks (16.5) in all of college football last season, has a chance to make a big-time impact in his rookie year, rushing the passer alongside All-Pro Micah Parsons. If healthy, Shavon Revel, who many saw as a first-round talent before his ACL tear, can do the same. The rookie will get a chance to play once he gets totally healthy.
There’s no denying that this year’s Cowboys’ defense has much better depth than last season. Losing Jourdan Lewis and DeMarcus Lawrence will certainly hurt, but they may be able to make up for it with much-improved depth at nearly every defensive position group.
If key defensive players can stay healthy, the unit has a shot to be one of the more productive defenses in the NFL. Bleacher Report echoed this sentiment in an article this week, ranking Dallas’ defense as the 10th-best defensive unit in football.
Here’s what they had to say about the Cowboys’ defense.
This one will raise a few eyebrows. After all, the Cowboys were a bottom-five defense in terms of yards allowed, run defense and scoring defense last year.
But that defense was also decimated by injuries. The year before, Dallas was one of five NFL teams that allowed less than 300 yards per game. The Cowboys were also fifth in scoring defense, giving up 18.5 points per game. They were also highly effective at rushing the passer in 2024, logging 52 sacks.
The Cowboys’ best defensive player is edge-rusher Micah Parsons, who had at least 12 sacks for the fourth time in as many years in 2025. They also retained defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa and added playmates for Parsons in second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku and veteran Dante Fowler Jr.
There’s turnover at linebacker, which could be an issue moving forward. After one year with the team, Eric Kendricks has given way to free-agent signing Kenneth Murray Jr. With DeMarvion Overshown likely to miss a big chunk of the season, journeyman Jack Sanborn could see a larger role, especially early on.
It’s a corner where the Cowboys could see their biggest boost. Both DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs missed considerable time last season (16 games total), and if that duo is healthy and newcomer Kaair Elam can be even average in the slot, the Dallas secondary could be as stingy as it has in quite some time.
The reasons for optimism are valid, and just how good Dallas’ defense ultimately is will likely come down to health. If key players, including Trevon Diggs and Shavon Revel, are able to play in a good majority of the games this upcoming season, there are plenty of reasons to believe Dallas’ defense can be one of the more effective units in the league. Even if they do miss some time, the depth the Cowboys acquired this spring will help them soften the blow.
It will be interesting to see just how good Dallas’ defense is once real games begin in September.
