The Dallas Cowboys were not shy about using trades, free agency, and the draft to add to their defense this offseason, but unfortunately the results of all these things have only put them right back in the position of still needing lots of help on that side of the ball in week seven. The Cowboys are 2-3-1, will be without CB Trevon Diggs this Sunday against the Commanders, and have more to look forward to on offense with players returning to the lineup (CeeDee Lamb and Tyler Booker) then they do on defense. This is not good news when it comes to trying to get back in the win column, as the offense is already doing all it can to support this cause on a weekly basis.
The team has found themselves right back in the familiar position of putting players in unfair positions to shoulder too much responsibility, and with a defense this bad, that’s already applying to players that haven’t even made it back to the active roster yet. Linebacker has been arguably the weakest spot in the entirety of the Cowboys weak defense, putting an extra hot spotlight on the looming return of DeMarvion Overshown. The 2023 draft pick suffering another season-ending injury late last year was devastating, but equally inspiring has been his very public determination to get ahead of his return timetable and get back to helping this team as soon as possible. It is in no way Overshown’s fault or responsibility that he may be returning to a defense that has caused the 2025 season to already be lost by the time he is ready.
The Cowboys loss at the Panthers was already a blown opportunity to make up ground the same week the Eagles and Commanders also lost, so a head to head loss this Sunday at home versus the Commanders could prove too much to overcome approaching the midpoint of this season. Even the fact the Commanders will be without top wide receiver Terry McLaurin doesn’t feel like something that works in the Cowboys advantage all that much, because of how porous the defense is all around. Maybe no McLaurin and no Diggs cancels each other out, but Washington can still find other matchups to exploit much like every offense that’s faced Matt Eberflus’ defense.
The Cowboys are aware of this, and also aware of the trade ammunition they hold if they want to use it to still flip the “win now” switch and not see another MVP-esque season from Dak Prescott go out the window. The trade for Kenny Clark, who has been one of Dallas’ most consistently good defenders, also netted the Cowboys two future first-round picks. The Cowboys could be looking at yet another scheme change on defense in the offseason, so valuing these picks as dart throws that land them another defender that will have to mesh into yet another new scheme may be seen as low value. Trying to use them to get more help for an Eberflus defense that is designed to play the ‘bend but don’t break’ style a team with a potent offense can win with, but one that’s currently doing far too much breaking, could be much better value. Dallas will need better zone players at linebacker, cornerback, and safety to make this commitment and pull this off.
Jerry Jones discussed possible help in a recent comment, but his meaning was still a little cryptic.
Whether or not Jerry is referring to making another trade to acquire these players, or simply referring to other players returning from injury like Overshown such as Caelen Carson and Shavon Revel, remains to be seen.
There’s no doubt Overshown can help this team when healthy, but to get on the field he’ll have to unseat Kenneth Murray and Jack Sanborn, two players Eberflus has relied on heavily this season despite mostly poor play from both. Carson and Revel would ideally be depth at cornerback to join a mix that includes Diggs and Bland, but keeping those two on the field together is again proving difficult. They both also don’t have experience – nor live game reps at the moment – playing this style of zone defense. Malik Hooker is also on his way back from a toe injury at safety, but the Cowboys saw better play here from Juanyeh Thomas after Hooker left the field versus the Packers, only to still put the burden of deep coverage from a safety mostly on Donovan Wilson afterwards.
All of this has created a muddied picture and mixed feelings from the fanbase about how much this franchise should leverage any future assets they hold for the sake of saving Brian Schottenheimer’s debut season. The Cowboys loyalty to coaches is being seen in both positive and negative lights right now, with Schotty proving a strong hire for the offense right away and Eberflus proving otherwise for the defense.
The continuity under Schottenheimer is something to count on for long-term stability, from a coach who’s already seen multiple defensive coordinator changes during his time as an assistant here. Keeping those future draft picks in play to further help Schotty build an even stronger offense, or using them on draft day and trading up to take a defensive player that would fit in any scheme like the best pass rusher available, are tempting plays.
They would be a lot more tempting if the Cowboys find a way to win at home against the Commanders, beating former DC Dan Quinn in the process. Quinn’s defense has had struggles against the run that will feel familiar to Cowboys fans, but for the Cowboys to get their own run game going on Sunday, the defense is going to have to do something it hasn’t all year and stop giving up big plays and points at will.
All offseason, the Cowboys were active in working their roster, but never shook the expectation that they’re still a distant third behind last year’s NFC Championship representatives the Eagles and Commanders. Falling to 2-4-1 with losses to both teams already, and putting themselves at risk of being passed by the two-win Giants, would cement this in a way. That position would force the front office to choose between doing something drastic on the trade market, or simply keeping their powder dray for the 2026 draft and season.
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