The Dallas Cowboys have completed their OTAs, which makes it a good time to look at what an updated defensive depth chart could look like.
Over the last month or so, the Cowboys have had three days of rookie minicamp and nine scheduled OTAS. In that time, they’ve probably gone through most of the install of their playbooks and definitely went on a paintball trip.
In addition to being teaching sessions, the practices have also been evaluation sessions. And as these evaluations have been going on, the Cowboys depth chart has inevitably changed, some players started playing with the first team, some players moved up from the third team to the second team, others moved down in the depth charts. Not all practices have been open to the media, but there’s been enough information published to give us a better idea of what the team’s depth chart could look like.
As you review the depth charts below, keep in mind that none of the practices so far have been conducted in pads. More importantly, quite a few players have missed parts or all of OTAs with injuries, or because the OTAs are voluntary.
But before we dive into the depth charts and debate the names listed as starters or backups, let’s first take a look at how new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus likes to construct his defenses from a numbers point of view. Here’s what the opening-day rosters on defense looked like at his last two coaching gigs, as a DC with the Colts and as head coach with the Bears.
| Colts DC | Bears HC | ||||||
| Season | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Defensive Line | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 11 |
| Linebackers | 6 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Defensive Backs | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 |
| of which: CB | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| of which: S | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Total | 25 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 26 |
From year to year, those numbers aren’t far apart and suggest that the Cowboys will likely carry 9-10 defensive linemen, 5-6 linebackers, 10-11 defensive backs, probably with more corners than safeties – and there probably won’t be more than 25-26 spots for the defense.
Defensive Line
The Cowboys like to rotate their defensive linemen heavily during games, which makes the distinction between starter and backup perhaps a bit less clear than on other teams, especially on the edge. Right now, I have 10 lineman (marked in green) making the roster.
| POS | Starter | Backup | Depth | Others |
| LDE | Dante Fowler | Donovan Ezeiruaku | Sam Williams | Luiji Vilain |
| NT | Mazi Smith | Jay Toia | Justin Rogers | Denzel Daxon |
| DT | Osa Odighizuwa | Solomon Thomas | Tommy Akingbesote | Earnest Brown |
| RDE | Micah Parsons | Payton Turner | Marshawn Kneeland | Tyrus Wheat |
The Cowboys will likely go long at edge rusher, considering that both Marshawn Kneeland (meniscus) and Sam Williams (ACL) are recovering from injuries. At defensive tackle, it’s anybody’s guess if either of the two seventh-round DTs, Jay Toia and Tommy Akingbesote, make the final 53, or if the Cowboys pull the trigger on a veteran nose tackle sometime during camp.
Linebacker
The key to the depth chart at LB is of course DeMarvion Overshown. He’ll start the season on PUP, and may return around Thanksgiving, though that is far from a given. He’s penciled in below in red, but he’s not going to count against the 53 at the start of the season.
| POS | Starter | Backup | Depth | Others |
| MLB | Jack Sanborn | Damone Clark | Darius Harris | Justin Barron |
| WLB | Kenneth Murray | Marist Liufau | Shemar James | Buddy Johnson |
| DeMarvion Overshown (PUP) |
Damone Clark and Marist Liufau seem to have the backup spots locked up for now, the depth beyond them likely won’t be settled until training camp. Fifth-round pick Shemar James gets the nod here over second-year player Darius Harris, but only because new-toy disease kicks in.
Cornerback
Today, the Cowboys have no idea who the nickel cornerback will be, which leads to an interesting cornerback depth chart featuring two safeties.
| POS | Starter | Backup | Depth | Others |
| LCB | DaRon Bland | Shavon Revel | Andrew Booth | Bruce Harmon |
| NB | Israel Mukuamu | Juanyeh Thomas | Kemon Hall | Troy Pride |
| RCB | Kaiir Elam | Caelen Carson | Josh Butler | Luq Barcoo |
| Trevon Diggs (PUP) |
Like Overshown, Trevon Diggs will start the season on PUP, but his return is even less clear than Overshown’s. The Cowboys are currently trying out safeties Israel Mukuamu and Juanyeh Thomas at nickelback, so they are penciled in there at the moment, but that could easily change. There’s some hope that Shavon Revel will be healthy enough to compete for a starting spot by camp, but for now he’s listed here as a backup.
Safety
If the Cowboys do indeed plan on having two of their safeties as slot corners, the depth at safety will necessarily be thin, and there are only four safeties in the table below making the 53-man roster.
| POS | Starter | Backup | Depth | Others |
| SS | Malik Hooker | Markquese Bell | Mike Smith | |
| FS | Donovan Wilson | Alijah Clark | Zion Childress |
With Mukuamu and Thomas trying out as slot corners, that may open up a roster spot for UDFA Alijah Clark, who had been getting some looks with the first-team unit during OTAs.
The Cowboys have mandatory minicamp scheduled for this week, perhaps that will provide more clarity on the defensive depth chart. For now though, 25 defensive players make the roster on defense, 10 defensive linemen, five linebackers, and 10 defensive backs.
Let us know your thoughts on this very early depth chart in the comments section below.
