While he wasn’t the Cowboys’ first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Donovan Ezeiruaku may be the most critical of all their second-year players. As Dallas looks to restore its pass rush in 2026, Ezeiruaku’s sophomore season could have make-or-break implications towards that goal.
Background
Years in NFL:Â 1
Acquired by:Â 2025 2nd-round pick
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When the Cowboys selected Ezeiruaku with the 44th-overall pick last year, he was expected to develop as just a rotation piece. After all, Dallas had Micah Parsons. While contract negotiations were ongoing with the All-Pro pass rusher, it was widely assumed that a deal would get done and Parsons would spearhead the defense for years to come. Dallas had also brought veteran Dante Fowler back into the fold and still had prospects Marshawn Kneeland and Sam Williams. They’d also signed the Saints’ bust Payton Turner as a reclamation project, hoping to unearth something in the former first-round pick.
The DE group that Dallas took into its 2025 training camp barely looked the same a few months later. By mid-November, Parsons was a Packer, Kneeland had tragically died, and Turner was on IR. Fowler struggled in Matt Eberflus’ scheme and Sam Williams’ only impact plays were on special teams. Not everything fell to Ezeiruaku: Dallas had signed Jadeveon Clowney shortly after trading Parsons and discovered James Houston as a hidden gem in training camp. So the rookie still had some room to grow, but the team definitely needed him more in his first season than anticipated.
Ezeiruaku could only do so much, given both his own inexperience and the Cowboys’ overall defensive woes. Despite becoming a full-time starter in Week 9, he had just one sack in those final nine games. The pass-rushing potential was evident with plenty of pressures, but just not the big plays needed to make an impact. A hip injury suffered sometime during that stretch didn’t help matters.
Despite being undersized as a 4-3 DE, Ezeiruaku was surprisingly effective in run defense. His strong play there helped boost his overall grades for the season: Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 38th-best EDGE in the NFL in 2025. While there’s certainly room for a lot more, that’s still a very solid start for a second-round rookie.
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Contract Status
Years Left:Â 3
2026 Cap Hit:Â $2.31 million
Whether he’s starting as expected, or even just in a rotation role, Ezeiruaku still has high value from a low cap hit. The more production Dallas can get out of its recent draft classes the better as they navigate the final years of Dak Prescott’s contract and other big-money deals on offense.
2026 Projections
Role:Â Starting OLB
Roster Chance:Â 100%
The future is very bright for Ezeiruaku in Year 2. His is well-suited to playing 3-4 outside linebacker in Dallas’ new defensive scheme, given his size, athleticism, and experience as a stand-up edge rusher at Boston College. While he did have surgery in January to deal with the torn labrum in his hip, Ezeiruaku is expected to be fully ready for the start of training camp.
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Ezeiruaku will go into Oxnard with a very different set of expectations and teammates. Dallas traded for veteran Rashan Gary this offseason and just used a first-round pick on Malachi Lawrence. They still have James Houston from last year and re-signed Sam Williams to a one-year deal. It’s a group with plenty of intrigue but still so much to prove, especially with Christian Parker’s changes.
With Gary’s experience and Lawrence being a first-rounder, it’s possible that Ezeiruaku will wind up as more of a pass-rush specialist than a starter. But we expect more the reverse between him and Lawrence: Ezeiruaku starting and the rookie coming in more on passing downs. It should be a pretty healthy rotation in general between those three players, with Houston also getting his share.
If there’s a betting favorite for one guy to truly lead the pass rush in 2026, it’s Ezeiruaku. While he’s been very close at times over seven seasons, Gary’s never posted double-digit sacks. He could be an outstanding wingman this year, but if he’s Dallas’ sack leader than it was probably not a great season overall for the defense. Lawrence is going to need time to work on his own game, particularly in run support, which could limit his snaps. As long as he’s healthy, Ezeiruaku should be on the field enough to put up numbers. If his own performance goes up a tick from last year, those QB pressures could quickly turn into sacks.
Granted, sacks aren’t everything. There are lots of other ways to evaluate an edge rusher: Ezeiruaku’s 2025 grade bears that out. But as we saw during most of Parsons’ run in Dallas, a sack artist can do a lot to make up for other defensive woes. If the linebackers or secondary need time to gel, the front line can help them with disruption and splashes that truly end plays. If his first in Parker’s scheme is as good as we think, Ezeiruaku is in the best position to do that among our 2026 pass rushers.
Check out our previous player profiles from this series:
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C Cooper Beebe
G Tyler Booker
S Alijah Clark
TE Jake Ferguson
LB Shemar James
G Trevor Keegan
FB Hunter Luepke
RB Phil Mafah
WR Jonathan Mingo
CB Devin Moore
LS Trent Sieg
EDGE Tyrus Wheat
EDGE Sam Williams
