Roster winners and losers from Cowboys defensive-focused draft

For anyone that watched the Cowboys defensive disaster with Matt Eberflus at the helm in 2025, there was only one possible solution to getting this ship righted – throwing as much of it out as possible and truly starting all over. The Cowboys achieved this in free agency and the draft at an unprecedented level:

• Of the 27 [defensive] players on the opening-day roster against the Eagles in 2025, 15 are no longer with the Cowboys. Rosters in the NFL churn about 30% each year, the churn for the Cowboys defense is almost twice that at 56%.
• The churn among the starters is even higher at 64% with seven of the 11 listed starters already off the team.

Of course, there are still some mainstays on the Cowboys roster they’ll be depending on heavily, and others that saw the usual fresh influx of new competition brought in to ensure each roster spot goes to the best player for the job. Of these players on the roster from before the draft, who are some of the winners and losers at the conclusion of draft weekend? Let’s break it all down.

Winners: Every single pass catcher and running back

Head coach and offensive play-caller Brian Schottenheimer joked at the end of day two, with the Cowboys sitting on three defensive picks, that all of their remaining four picks on day three would go to the offense. Schottenheimer and Parker ended up in a draw with two picks each for their sides of the ball, but more importantly the Cowboys waited until their very last pick in the seventh round to add a skill position player.

Deep into the portion of the draft where a singular trait is enough to take a chance on, the Cowboys added a speedster receiver, Anthony Smith, from East Carolina. Without special teams experience despite six seasons in college, it’s very hard to see Smith climbing the depth chart ahead of KaVontae Turpin, Ryan Flournoy, Traeshon Holden, and Jonathan Mingo enough to make a real impact in 2026. Even all of these players listed will have to scrap for their playing time behind CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, who absolutely need to be the bulldogs of the Dallas pass offense and hardly ever – if at all – come off the field. Moving on from some very faint smoke on night one about the Cowboys ending up in a wipe out scenario that would make wide receiver a first round target, the receivers are obvious winners as expected following the completion of the draft.

The Cowboys also didn’t draft any more depth at running back, after taking two last April and re-signing Javonte Williams as the starter this offseason. This makes Malik Davis, Jaydon Blue, and Phil Mafah winners with a real chance to carve out a role alongside Williams for year two of Schotty and Klayton Adams’ offense.

Losers: Pass rushers Isaiah Land, James Houston, Tyrus Wheat and Marist Liufau

The fact there can be any talk at all of the Cowboys making cuts off the depth chart at pass rusher is pretty mind blowing, less than a full year removed from trading away Micah Parsons and seeing their pass rush production expectedly nosedive as a result.

Changing from a 4-3 to a 3-4 base under Parker is a major shift in how the Cowboys will look to get more pass rush though, and the Cowboys went to work in this draft getting outside linebacker type rushers that fit the bill. It will be a good goal for Dallas not to rely on first-round pick Malachi Lawrence too much in pass rush too soon, but his upside as a designated rusher and knack for creating turnovers around the ball may prove undeniable. The same sense of patience should apply to Donovan Ezeiruaku, working through offseason surgery at the moment and going into year two with a scheme change after a promising rookie season.

This means the Cowboys will need further reliable depth to their pass rush, which is where Rashan Gary, acquired via trade, comes in, as well as new rookies LT Overton and Jaishawn Barham, Sam Williams, and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.

Gary, Overton, and Williams are three entirely different types of rushers that all work from different spots, with Overton having the lowest ceiling of the three in pass rush but a high floor/ceiling in run defense. If the Cowboys want to put a premium on being able to play multiple fronts against all sorts of looks, their OLB pass rush stable will need variety. Isaiah Land, James Houston, and Marist Liufau are rare carryovers from 2025 that will now face a steeper challenge making this roster as pass rushers. Houston was a situational player under Eberflus, Land has been a fringe guy his entire time in the league, and Liufau is a smart blitzing player, but making a full-on position change to be a 3-4 outside linebacker under Parker. Having to face this learning curve right after the Cowboys added both Lawrence and Barham as more natural fits for the position could be tough sledding for Liufau specifically.

Winner: Safety Jalen Thompson

A very under the radar aspect of what made the Cowboys landing Caleb Downs 11th overall, besides arguably getting the best player in the entire draft outside the top ten, is how the Ohio State star will actually join a position group where Dallas has already done some work in free agency. Downs will be the starting nickelback, but was drafted/listed as a safety, the same position the Cowboys also added Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke in free agency.

In a little bit of a similar mold to Downs, Thompson is at his best when being used all over the field, and is comfortable playing the nickel, but has a lot of upside as a safety on the deep part of the field. In a world where the Cowboys didn’t get Downs, Thompson may be the current favorite to play the majority of snaps at nickel, which would create a void in deep coverage from the true safety positions. Now with Downs expected to take full command of a nickel/box safety role, Thompson can stay versatile as another chess piece, but also potentially find a home as a primary deep safety, where the Cowboys have a need for his ability to track down balls in the air and undercut routes with quick recognition skills.

If Downs lives up to his draft status and is a player the Cowboys simply can’t take off the field, Thompson will also have the edge at coexisting with Downs on the field as another safety, edging Malik Hooker into a situational role. The likes of Alijah Clark, Zion Childress, Reddy Steward, or Trikweze Bridges, who are all trying to find a role in that safety/nickel mix, saw things get tougher.

Losers: Justin Barron and Shemar James

What the Cowboys are going to do at inside linebacker is still a bit of a mystery, but there’s no denying the overall picture of the defense at the moment does not bode well for carryovers from 2025 or before. Dallas has plans to use third-round pick Jaishawn Barham in this role, traded for Dee Winters during the draft, and have a healthy DeMarvion Overshown to look forward to putting on the field.

This is enough fresh blood at the position to make Justin Barron and second-year draft pick Shemar James losers following the draft. Both players don’t possess the same motor and relentless pursuit skills that Winters and Barham have, nor are reliable enough in coverage on the second level to demand a spot on the field – not with Downs projecting as a second level player too.

Barron and James may easily play well enough through the preseason to earn their roster spots as valuable depth. Both players appeared on both defense and special teams for the Cowboys last season, which will help their case to do so.