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The Cowboys have significantly revamped their defense, as highlighted by Jerry Jones during a press conference. The changes are seen as a long-term strategy rather than just a reaction to past performance.
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Jerry Jones opened the press conference following Day 2 of the draft by pointing out the changes made to the defense.
“We have been able to, as of right now, rebuild this defense. I think the fact that we put a new newness to the system and coaching staff, and new faces that we’ve added, we’ve changed this defense.”
Jones also pointed out that the changes made were not just a reaction to last year, but a “product of 3, 4, 5 years, maybe more, where we ultimately didn’t get to where we were trying to go and be a contender.”
On the player personnel side, the degree of change becomes dramatically apparent when you compare the season-opening 2025 roster with the current offseason roster. Here’s a look at the 2025 Week 1 roster for the defense, with the red cells indicating players no longer with the team:
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| 2025 Week 1 roster – Base 4-3 D | |||
| POS | Starter | 2nd |
The Cowboys defense has seen a complete overhaul in player personnel and coaching staff, with many players from the 2025 Week 1 roster no longer part of the team.
Jerry Jones indicated that the decision to rebuild the defense was influenced by several years of underperformance, aiming to create a more competitive team.
The current Cowboys defense is dramatically different from previous years, with new faces and a revamped system aimed at improving overall performance.
The extensive changes to the defense are intended to enhance the Cowboys' competitiveness and potentially improve their chances of being a playoff contender.
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| LDE | Sam Williams | Donovan Ezeiruaku |
| NT | Kenny Clark | Mazi Smith | Jay Toia |
| DT | Osa Odighizuwa | Solomon Thomas | Perrion Winfrey |
| RDE | Dante Fowler | Marshawn Kneeland | James Houston |
| WLB | Jack Sanborn | Shemar James |
| MLB | Kenneth Murray | Marist Liufau |
| SLB | Damone Clark | Buddy Johnson |
| SS | Malik Hooker | Markquese Bell |
| FS | Donovan Wilson | Juanyeh Thomas |
| RCB | Kaiir Elam | C.J. Godwin | Trikweze Bridges |
| LCB | DaRon Bland | Trevon Diggs | Reddy Steward |
| IR/PUP | DeMarvion Overshown, Shavon Revel Jr., Caelen Carson |
I’ve listed the current offseason roster below. The roster is still in flux, of course, and I may not have slotted every player correctly on the depth chart, but the green cells do give you a good overview of the additions the Cowboys have made since Week 1, 2025.
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| 2026 offseason roster – Base 3-4 D | ||||
| POS | Starter | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
| LDE | Quinnen Williams | Otito Ogbonnia | ||
| NT | Kenny Clark | Jay Toia | ||
| RDE | Jonathan Bullard | LT Overton | Adedayo Odeleye | |
| LOLB | Donovan Ezeiruaku | James Houston | Sam Williams | Tyrus Wheat |
| LILB | DeMarvion Overshown | Shemar James | ||
| RILB | Dee Winters | Jaishawn Barham | Justin Barron | |
| ROLB | Rashan Gary | Malachi Lawrence | Marist Liufau | Isaiah Land |
| LCB | DaRon Bland | Devin Moore | Caelen Carson | Josh Butler, Reddy Steward |
| SS | Caleb Downs | Markquese Bell | Julius Wood | Zion Childress |
| FS | Jalen Thompson | Malik Hooker | P.J. Locke | Alijah Clark |
| RCB | Shavon Revel Jr. | Cobie Durant | Trikweze Bridges | Derion Kendrick, Corey Ballantine |
Overall, this is a significant overhaul of the defense in just one year. And as Jerry Jones pointed out, the personnel changes are accompanied by a change in scheme and a completely new coaching staff. And it’s not just a quantitative change, it’s also a qualitative change to the defense.
A change of this magnitude is not just unusual, it’s unprecedented for a team like the Cowboys that likes to keep things comfortable and is generally averse to change. The Cowboys of the past would have talked about a two- or three-year rebuild, but they are doing this in one year. If ever the “all-in” label could be applied to anything in Dallas, it’s on this defensive rebuild.
Will it work from day one? Who knows. There are so many moving parts to this that predicting an outcome is impossible. But the Cowboys don’t need to have a world-beating defense from day one anyway. Even a middling defense that doesn’t need the offense scoring touchdowns on every possession to keep them in games would already be a giant step forward for this team.
But if they pull it off, they become an almost automatic contender.