The Dallas Cowboys have officially completed the first days of organized team practice activity in preparation for the 2025 regular season.
These workouts involved the majority of the team and included various drills to help improve skills and determine the players best suited for specific positions.
This period will also help to clearly indicate which position groups on the team can be most relied upon and which need the most support through different schemes and plans.
The Dallas Express previously ranked each offensive position group for the Cowboys leading into the 2025 season; now, it is time to examine the defensive position groups.
Edge
The Cowboys’ best position along the defense is easily the defensive edge, with this group featuring both the best player on the entire defense and arguably the best depth.
Micah Parsons is the leader of the Cowboys’ defense and one of the best edge rushers in the entire league, leading Dallas with 12 sacks and 12 tackles during the 2024 season.
Following Parsons is a deep group of edge rushers, including Dante Fowler Jr., Donovan Ezeiruaku, Sam Williams, and Marshawn Kneeland.
Each of these players has the potential to contribute to the 2025 regular season. Each possesses an incredibly different skillset that defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus can utilize throughout games.
Fowler will likely be used to rush opposing teams’ quarterbacks while sitting out potential rushing plays, while both Ezeiruaku and Williams can help on either play call and make stops in both passing and rushing sets.
Meanwhile, Kneeland flashed potential during his rookie season and, depending on specific matchups, could be used as both an edge rusher and a defensive tackle.
Regardless, the Cowboys’ edge players are clearly the best defensive position group on the team heading into next season.
Cornerback
Although there are various questions in the Cowboys’ cornerback room, this group of players can still be one of the most effective groups in the league.
The first question is which player will fill the role left behind by Jourdan Lewis, who was one of the best nickel cornerbacks in the league and signed a contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency.
The second question, and arguably the biggest, is whether the cornerbacks still on the roster will be able to stay healthy for the entire season.
All three of the Cowboys’ main cornerbacks for next season have dealt with significant injuries over the last two years, leading to reasonable concerns about their ability to stay healthy for a full 17-game regular season.
DaRon Bland, who is expected to be the Cowboys’ main option at the position next season, missed the first 10 games of the 2024 season with a stress fracture in his foot.
Trevon Diggs also missed 15 games in 2023 due to a torn ACL and then missed six games in 2024 to close the season due to a knee injury, which could impact his availability to begin next season.
Finally, Cowboys rookie cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. is currently recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in his last collegiate season, which led to his slide to the third round of the NFL Draft.
However, a fully healthy stretch from these cornerbacks could completely change the outcome of the upcoming season.
Bland posted the best season of his career in 2023, collecting nine interceptions and breaking the record for the most pick-sixes in a single season with five.
Despite finishing with 10 missed games and zero interceptions in the 2024 regular season, Bland was incredibly effective and frequently helped to slow down opposing teams’ top wide receivers.
Similarly, Diggs has displayed phenomenal flashes on the field when fully healthy, posting an incredible 11-interception season in 2021 and following up that year with an impressive season in 2022.
Revel could also become one of the most impactful rookies in the entire league if he is fully healthy to begin next season, as many expected him to be drafted much earlier than the third round.
Diggs and Revel, pairing up alongside Bland, could create one of the most dynamic and explosive secondaries in the NFL, making them the second-best position group on the Cowboys’ defense.
Safety
Dallas will be led in the safety room next season by Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson, who each started 17 games for the Cowboys in 2024 and are now returning with a chance to make an even greater impact next year.
Hooker and Wilson combined for 163 tackles and three interceptions last season, making them one of the most consistent safety duos in the NFL.
As previously mentioned, injuries ravaged the Cowboys’ cornerback room in 2024, making the safeties’ jobs much more difficult.
The injuries suffered by Bland and Diggs at various points last year forced the safety room to adapt to a different style of play, which changed the rhythm and schemes for Dallas as the season continued.
Assuming Dallas will be healthy at cornerback, the Cowboys’ safeties should have the opportunity to focus on their responsibilities and improve even further next year.
Although the Cowboys’ depth at safety is not incredibly impressive, with Markquese Bell being the main backup, this group is expected to perform well next season.
A combination of growth and experience in this position should help Dallas stay afloat at the safety position next season.
Defensive Tackle
The Cowboys struggled all year to stop opposing teams from rushing the ball, with a large portion of the issue stemming from inconsistency at the defensive tackle position.
Despite the potential to add to this room in both free agency and the NFL Draft, the Cowboys did little to improve the outlook of this group leading into next season.
Dallas enters the 2025 season with major concerns in this position group.
Although Osa Odighizuwa proved to be one of the most effective defensive linemen on the team last season, there are real concerns about the other defensive tackles on the Cowboys’ roster.
Mazi Smith showed significant growth last season and could continue to improve this year, but he still struggled with inconsistency and issues with tackling that severely hurt Dallas in multiple games.
Outside of these two players, Dallas lacks any real depth at the position.
The Cowboys signed Solomon Thomas in free agency during the offseason, but the 29-year-old defensive tackle struggled last season with the New York Jets and should not be expected to be a major contributor.
Similarly, Dallas drafted Jay Toia in the seventh round of the NFL Draft, but fans should not expect him to frequently see the field in his rookie season.
While Toia could become a solid run defender in his rookie season, there is no indication that he will make a major impact in his first year.
Moving forward, Dallas may need to consider potential trades that could improve this group and help stop opposing teams’ rushing attacks.
Linebacker
Linebacker is the biggest point of concern for the Dallas defense heading into next season, with Demarvion Overshown expected to miss a large portion of the year with a torn ACL, MCL, and PCL.
Overshown will be greatly missed to begin the season after becoming one of the most explosive defensive players on the team last season, finishing with 90 tackles and five sacks in his 13 games played.
However, the devastating knee injury will cause him to miss significant time next season, and he could struggle to find a rhythm once he does return to the field.
Now, Dallas will rely on Kenneth Murray Jr. and Jack Sanborn to lead the linebacker room for most of the regular season, which is a responsibility neither player has consistently been tasked with in their careers.
In addition to the issues with the Cowboys’ two main linebackers, this position group does not have impressive depth.
Dallas will likely have rookie Shemar James as the third linebacker, followed by Damone Clark as the fourth option, who racked up only 28 total tackles in 14 appearances last season.
Adding another linebacker to this room would be the best outcome for Dallas before next season, but the most likely outcome is that Dallas will make this group work until Overshown is eventually ready to return to the field in the second half of the regular season.