Cowboys 2025 rookie report: Rookie class was flat in battle against the Lions

Just when Cowboys fans thought things were on the up, the Detroit Lions made sure to deflate those high riding spirits. In a tough loss at Ford Field, Dallas fell short of putting a fourth consecutive win to what was an impressive surge after the bye. But how did the Cowboys rookies class do during […]

OG Tyler Booker

(Game stats- Snaps: 82, Pass Blocks: 60, Pressures: 2, Sacks: 0, Penalties: 0)

Booker’s performance against the Lions was steadier than the overall team result suggests, and the data and tape points to him being far from the main problem in protection. His game recap lists him playing 82 snaps, reflecting a full, every-down workload at right guard. As a unit, Dallas surrendered 22 total pressures and five sacks against Detroit, so the pocket wasn’t clean overall. Booker’s general footprint for the season matches what the Lions game seemed to show on tape. This was not a perfect night from Booker, he allowed two pressures, but it was not one where his gap repeatedly collapsed or where he was the obvious weak link. On the penalty front, Booker was clean.

The biggest positives for Booker were that he largely stayed quiet in the best sense with no drive-killing penalties attributed to him and no complete disasters against Detroit’s interior. The negatives are more comparative than catastrophic. The Cowboys’ offense struggled with turnovers and missed chances, and when the Lions’ pressure ramped up late, Dallas couldn’t consistently keep Dak comfortable across the board. In short, Booker looked like a fine, starter-level rookie guard in a game where the offense had enough issues elsewhere that even an above average right guard performance couldn’t change the outcome.

DE Donovan Ezeiruaku

(Game stats- Snaps: 49, Total Tackles: 4, Pressures: 2, Sacks: 0, TFL: 1)

Ezeiruaku’s game against Detroit was one of those nights where the effort and discipline were there, but the impact was muted by how the Lions controlled the script. Statistically, he finished with one solo tackle, three assists and one tackle for loss, with no sacks. For a rookie who has generally been one of Dallas’ brighter defensive stories, that’s a fairly quiet output in a game where the Cowboys badly needed edge disruption to slow Jared Goff and Jahmyr Gibbs and prevent Detroit from staying ahead of the sticks.

The notable positive was that he did flash in the run game. That single tackle for loss matters in context because Detroit’s backs were gashing Dallas for big chunks, and any edge-setting or backfield win stood out against the tide. Overall, the Cowboys’ defense only managed one sack on the night, so it wasn’t an Ezeiruaku-specific problem as much as a team-wide inability to consistently finish pressures and get the Lions into long, uncomfortable downs.

Ezeiruaku was solid in flashes and active around the ball, but this was not a signature pass-rush performance. In a tougher defensive night overall, he looked like a good young starter caught in a bad matchup and game flow, rather than the reason Dallas couldn’t get off the field.

CB Shavon Revel Jr.

(Game stats- Snaps: 62, Total Tackles: 6, PBU: 1, INT: 0, TD Allowed: 1, RTG Allowed: 118.3)

Revel had a tough night against Detroit, the kind that exemplifies how steep the learning curve can be for a rookie corner thrown into heavy snaps against a polished offense. He was on the field for a full starter’s workload, and the Lions clearly weren’t afraid to test his discipline in space and his understanding in zone.

The biggest negative moment was the coverage breakdown that led to Isaac TeSlaa’s third-quarter touchdown, with Goff throwing over Revel in coverage after he was caught out of position. That’s the kind of mistake that can swing a rookie’s game grade fast because it’s not just a completion, it’s a high-leverage bust that turned into six point.

He also had a rough time on more than one of Detroit’s explosive run moments. David Montgomery dragged Revel for extra yards before breaking loose on his 35-yard touchdown, which speaks to both the Lions’ physicality and the reality that tackling consistency is often the last thing to fully arrive for young corners adjusting to NFL strength and angles.

Overall, this was a difficult tape for Revel with more stress, more exposure, and more visible mistakes than his earlier appearances. Detroit’s offense is built to punish hesitation and poor landmark discipline, but the bottom line is Revel didn’t just have a quiet rookie game, he had a game where the Lions found him in coverage and made him pay.

LB Shemar James

(Game stats- Snaps: 6, Total Tackles: 1, Pressures: 0, Sacks: 0, TFL: 0)

James is a tough one to properly grade because he only played six snaps on defense, which is half as many as he got the last two weeks. This workload reinforces the idea he is now more of a situational player than an integral linebacker. With that little exposure, it’s honestly too small a sample to make strong claims about his coverage, run fits or overall effectiveness without overreacting to one or two reps.

The bigger story is that his largest share of work came on special teams. He logged 26 special-teams snaps, and the main blemish there was a missed tackle. In context, that’s less an indictment of his game and more a reminder of how his role has shifted week to week. When the defensive reps aren’t there, his night will be judged mostly on whether he’s clean and reliable in the kicking game, which this week was just alright.

DB Alijah Clark

(Game stats- Snaps: 18, Total Tackles: 0)

*Snap count are all special team snaps*

Clark was essentially a special team only piece against Detroit. In a game where Dallas’ special teams had a rough night overall, Clark did nothing that really stood out.

CB Trikweze Bridges

(Game stats- Snaps: 12, Total Tackles: 0)
*Snap count are all special team snaps*

Bridges was in a similar bucket as Clark from a game-impact standpoint, with his most notable moment tied to special teams rather than defense. He was flagged for holding on a punt return in the Cowboys’ own territory, a sequence that contributed to brutal field position and underscored how messy the coverage and return phases were for Dallas on the night. With no defensive stat line attached to his Week 14 performance, his overall imprint against the Lions is best described as limited.