Cowboys shuffled this defensive position, but it doesn't help on paper

Games are often won and lost in the trenches, and the interior defensive line usually plays a major role in deciding the NFC East division. The Dallas Cowboys entered last season hoping to reestablish itself as the standard up front, but failed to get the job done. The issues were easy to see: poor coaching and technique changes under defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. The Cowboys’ fondness for undersized defensive tackles who could rush the passer but struggled against the run didn’t help either.

Even with the midseason addition of All‑Pro Quinnen Williams, the Cowboys never consistently solved their issues on the line; stopping the run and generating pressure up the middle. Those failures forced a reset. They parted ways with Whitecotton, signaling a change in coaching style and personnel usage by bringing on Marcus Dixon.

Roster moves followed as the Cowboys traded both Solomon Thomas (256 pounds) and Osa Odighizuwa (280 pounds), their lightest interior defenders. The duo combined for 64 pressures and three sacks last season, providing meaningful pass‑rush production, but both struggled against the run. They were replaced by Otito Ogbonnia (320 pounds) and Jonathan Bullard (290 pounds). Neither moves the needle as a pressure generator, but both bring stability against the run.

But are these changes enough for Dallas to become the NFC East’s best interior defensive line?