Cowboys 2025 rookie report: Rookies put on a clinic against the Commanders

Is it all slowly coming together for this Dallas rookie class? If the Washington game is anything to go by then it was a slam dunk by the Cowboys rookies as they really played above expectation. Let’s dive into it and see how each rookies performed in the huge Week 7 victory. OG Tyler Booker […]

OG Tyler Booker

(Game stats- Snaps: 67, Pass Blocks: 38, Pressures: 2, Sacks: 0, Penalties: 1)

Dallas’ offense roared to life again against the Commanders because the interior never panicked. With Tyler Booker back at right guard, the Cowboys kept the pocket clean and the run game on schedule. The proof is in the stats here with just one sack allowed on 30 pass attempts. When they needed a yard, Booker helped deliver the power when Washington tried to heat things up.

Washington’s Daron Payne got his hands on some throws, but he didn’t wreck the pocket from Booker’s gap at right guard. Bookers inside hand stayed firm, the base stayed wide, and the bull rushes and twists turned flat for Washington. That steadiness is why Dallas was so eager to get him back on starting line. It was a solid return for Booker and he made statement in this game as to why he was deserving of the first-round draft pick, and take over the Zack Martin position.

DE Donovan Ezeiruaku

(Game stats- Snaps: 37, Total Tackles: 4, Pressures: 3, Sacks: 1, TFL: 2)

From the first third down of the game, Donovan Ezeiruaku looked like a rookie who’s figured out how to pair burst with technique. He varied his get-off, and the result wasn’t just almost pressure, it was real, drive-shaping heat. He hurried throws on a couple of clean wins that flushed Jayden Daniels off his spot, and used textbook lane integrity that kept the quarterback bottled instead of bailing into explosives.

On one third-and-medium, he walked the tackle back with speed-to-power, forcing a checkdown short of the sticks. Later, a twist with the 3-tech cracked open the B-gap and got him square to the backfield to force a throwaway. You could feel his first sack coming all night, in fact, it’s been coming for a couple of weeks.

The payoff finally landed in the fourth quarter. Ezeiruaku aligned wide, sold pure speed, then stabbed with his inside hand to freeze the tackle. The tackle overplayed the arc, he snapped back underneath with a rip, and the pocket collapsed inward like a folding chair. It was no fluke what he was doing, just a clean, square finish through the ribs for his first NFL sack. Expect more to come now he has the taste for it.

RB Jaydon Blue

(Game stats- Snaps: 15, Rush Attempts: 7, Rush Yards: 29, Avg: 4.1)

On a night the script didn’t hand Blue many chances, he made his carries look like auditions for a bigger role. He pressed the front side with patience, put his foot in the ground, and got north/south like a guy who knows how to get upfield. The vision showed up on inside-zone runs and he slipped through arm traffic, and fell forward instead of sideways. All pluses here.

Blue made one great play where he hit daylight on an outside run, for what looked like his splash run of the evening, only to see it wiped out by a Jalen Tolbert holding flag on the perimeter. That one stung as the timing and tempo was perfect and the angle was right. The flag ended up killing the drive, but Blue flashed on that play showing his speed and playmaking ability. He just needs to keep stacking good plays now.

LB Shemar James

(Game stats- Snaps: 66, Total Tackles: 9, Pressures: 2, Sacks: 1, TFL: 1, FF: 1)

James played at a different tempo with true sideline-to-sideline speed. He squared up in space, finished through the contact, got to defenders in a hurry. When Washington tried to stretch the edge, he beat the tackle to the landmark when they checked it down and he closed the gap in an instant. Clean angles, clean wrap ups and tackling ability that settled the defense. On a night where the Cowboys made a bunch missed tackles, James never had one against his name.

He registered a sack that was pure timing and nerve. Dallas showed a light box, the back stayed in, and James used his burst to cut straight through the B-gap. He finished perfectly on Daniels killing the drive. But it wasn’t just a sack, he forced the ball loose, Jadeveon Clowney smothered it, and Washington’s momentum died on the spot. Cue the stadium noise and the Cowboys’ sideline lit up. From that moment the Cowboys really played on their terms and was a huge turning point in the game.

CB Alijah Clark

(Game stats- Snaps: 5, Total Tackles: 2, Special Team snaps: 22)

Dropped into the defense with Malik Hooker and Juanyeh Thomas out, Clark made his handful of snaps loud. On just five defensive plays, he stacked two tackles. One came in the alley after motion tried to stretch the fit, but Clark adjusted and finished through the hips to keep the down-and-distance honest. That a good solid play that will get him more chances in the future.

It’s a tiny sample size here but a real signal. If Clark keeps calm eyes to sudden finishes, those five snaps turn into ten, then twenty. Matt Eberflus trusts defenders who make routine plays look routine and put the ball on the ground exactly where they meet it. Clark did exactly that when he had the chance.