Jerry Jones’s post-blockbuster trade press conference had one clear message: by swapping Micah Parsons for Kenny Clark, Dallas will now be able to stop the run.
As nice as that sounds, given the Cowboys’ longtime struggles with run defense, the “solution” brings its own set of problems.
For example, even if you’re great at stopping the run, how do you plan on stopping the pass?
Since Parsons joined the team in 2021, he has led them in sacks every single season with a minimum of 12. The guys in second and third place in each season, except for Sam Williams in 2023 and DeMarvion Overshown in 2024, have all departed the Cowboys roster.
One of those departures was DeMarcus Lawrence, who, coincidentally, was Dallas’s best run stopper for years.
The point here is, as good as Clark could be this season, the defensive front has more problems this year than it has had since Parsons arrived. It will be on five Cowboys pass rushers to step up in his absence, so let’s talk about them.
1. The Lead Veteran: Dante Fowler Jr’s Second Chance in Dallas
If you had to put money on the Dallas 2025 sack leader, the easiest answer is veteran defensive end Dante Fowler Jr.
The former top-three pick in the 2015 draft, Fowler’s career has been a roller coaster. In fact, this third season with the Cowboys is tied for the longest he’s ever spent in an organization, and he still had another destination in between that tenure.
Fowler left Dallas after two very solid seasons as a rotational piece for Washington, where he put up a near-career-high 10.5 sacks.
Returning as a Cowboys pass rusher, Fowler is the most veteran, reliable, and proven sack artist the defense has. He was supposed to be a complementary piece to Parsons, but he is the top dog now.
2. Sophomore Revival: Marshawn Kneeland Sees Daylight After Quiet Rookie Year
The Cowboys picked up Marshawn Kneeland in the second round of the 2024 draft. He was initially selected as the heir apparent to Lawrence, but with Parsons gone too, his role on the team grew even larger.
Kneeland, 24, had a slow rookie season that combined injuries with a lack of production. He didn’t record a sack in 11 games.
Still, between the health and the crowding in the defensive line room, it’s understandable that he didn’t have a huge immediate impact.
In 2025, he can’t afford a repeat. Kneeland is going to have to perform in a major way if he wants to remain in Dallas’s plans; not to mention, the sacks will have to come from somewhere in Parsons’ absence.
3. Last Opportunity: Sam Williams Has One Shot Left With Cowboys
If Fowler’s career has been a roller coaster, I don’t know what Sam Williams has been. Season-ending injuries, arrests, suspensions, and more have made his tenure a doozy.
Despite all of that, no year has been bigger for the former second-round pick than this one. He absolutely has to arrive in 2025.
Williams is on the very last year of his rookie contract, and with just 32 games played and 8.5 total sacks under his belt, he won’t make much noise on the free agent market without something tangible this season.
He’s currently listed as a starter on the Dallas depth chart, and he needs to take advantage of that. It is his last shot as a Cowboys pass rusher.
4. Rookie-Year Breakout: Donovan Ezeiruaku No Longer Just High-Potential Depth
Donovan Ezeiruaku, a Boston College alum and the runner-up sack leader in college football last season, is starting his career in Dallas as a highly-touted second-round selection.
He joined both Kneeland and Williams as the third Cowboys second-round pass rusher in the last four years this April, and he’ll be competing with them for snaps.
Right now, he’s listed behind everybody we’ve named on the depth chart, but his potential is elite.
It may not have the highest odds, but there is absolutely a world where Ezeiruaku shines the brightest of anybody in that room. He’ll need to take advantage of his limited snaps and parlay them into a full-time role to do so.
5. The Preseason Star: James Houston Has Earned His Chance To Shine
As far as preseason performances go, former Lions and Browns pass rusher James Houston couldn’t have done much better.
He popped over and over again in the games and did his thing in training camp as well. Despite starting as a roster long shot, he made the cut and has landed a full-time job as a Cowboys pass rusher.
It’s been a fan-favorite story to this point, but now, he has to see it through.
Houston comes in behind all of these guys on the depth chart, so he will once again be fighting for opportunities. If he can work his magic one more time, he’ll become a big contributor on the Dallas defense.
