Cowboys 2026 offseason preview: Defensive ends

Our preview series now moves into the defense, and with it comes a big shift in urgency. This comes as no surprise after one of the worst defensive seasons in team history, but the Cowboys have a lot of work to do at just about every position. That’s certainly true at defensive end, where the best pass rusher from 2025 is a free agent and plenty more are also on expiring deals.

Under Contract

Donovan Ezeiruaku – For all of the offseason hype, and even what he flashed in August, Ezeiruaku had an underwhelming rookie year. Despite leading all edge players in total snaps, he only finished with two sacks. He did have 2025’s only safety and was among the team leaders in QB hits, but Ezeiruaku didn’t seal the deal on enough plays to be impactful. The hope is that this is more a symptom of the overall defensive issues under Matt Eberflus and that the overhaul of the coaching staff will allow Ezeiruaku and many other players to shine.

James Houston – Unlike his rookie teammate, Houston did carry preseason momentum into the real games. His 5.5 sacks were good enough for second on the team, and you felt his presence more than most Cowboys on defense. Dallas has him back this year for a cheap $1.1 million, which is outstanding for a solid rotation piece among your edge rushers.

Isaiah Land – A darling of preseasons past, Land spent 2025 on Dallas’ practice squad after a two-year stint with the Colts. He was a painful loss during 2023 final cuts, getting claimed by Indy off the Cowboys’ waivers. Dallas got him back last August and signed him to a futures deal for next season. Now a fourth-year veteran with some real experience, we’ll see if he can capitalize on this second shot with the Cowboys.

Adedayo Odeleye – Also coming off a year on Dallas’ practice squad, Odeleye was added after missing the cut in Baltimore last summer. A native Nigerian who learned football and rugby in the UK, Odeleye has spent four years on practice squads for the Texans, Ravens, and now Cowboys. With a unique background, he’ll be an interesting camp body to watch,

Free Agents

Jadeveon Clowney – Leading the team with 8.5 sacks despite playing just 34% of the defensive snaps, Clowney was easily the best pure edge rusher. He turns 33 this Saturday, so you can’t expect him to take on a larger role going forward. But the Cowboys have to take his free agency seriously, either keeping him in the rotation as a pass-rushing specialist or making sure someone else is filling the void.

Dante Fowler Jr. – Many assumed Fowler would fill the role that eventually became Clowney’s, the veteran edge rusher who mainly played on passing downs. But unfortunately, Fowler was much less impactful outside of a Dan Quinn defense. Turning 32 this summer, Fowler probably won’t have much of a market. It’s doubtful that Dallas would re-sign both him and Clowney, and Fowler would now seem like the much lesser priority.

Sam Williams – After a disappointing four-year run, this former second-rounder’s time in Dallas could easily be over. At the very least, he would probably be very cheap to re-sign on a one-year flyer. The Cowboys might consider it, hoping that Williams could be better under Christian Parker and another year removed from a major 2024 knee injury. Williams was solid on special teams last year, which is always a good way to earn a backup job.

Payton Turner – Speaking of second chances, Turner’s didn’t go too well in Dallas. A 2021 first-round pick by the Saints, Turner didn’t get a new deal and joined the Cowboys as a reclamation project. He was placed on IR last August with a rib injury and never reactivated. Turner seems unlikely to return, but you never know with how many other free agents Dallas is facing. He’d be a camp body at the most.

What’s Needed?

Oh, plenty! Even if the Cowboys re-signed every single free agent, they’d still be in trouble based on last year’s results. The loss of Micah Parsons was felt across the board, and even improving the middle of the line with Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark wasn’t enough to set up the edge rushers for success. Again, we hope that the biggest problem went out the door with Eberflus. But a lack of overall talent was still a major contributor.

Trying to replace a talent like Parsons is a tough assignment, if not a fool’s errand. Top edge rushers generally don’t make it to free agency, and this year is no exception. The two best guys are probably Trey Hendrickson, a 31-year-old coming off hip surgery, and Odafe Oweh, who’s only 27 but has only posted double-digit sacks once in five years. Either would probably still be Dallas’ best DE in 2026, but you run the risk of overpaying them as the best options in a weak market.

The idea of trading for Vegas’ Maxx Crosby is out there, but even he isn’t quite the pure pass-rushing savant that Parsons was. Still, it’s probably the only move out there to add an immediate high-impact guy to the defense. The question is how much draft capital Dallas would be willing to part with to do it, which could have major long-term consequences given that Crosby is already near the end of his prime.

Counting on the draft to add a premier pass rusher is much more dangerous. While Dallas does have two picks in the first round, top prospects like Rueben Bain and David Bailey will likely be gone by the 12th pick. And without any picks in the second or third rounds, packaging #12 and #20 to move up isn’t happening. Dallas could probably land someone like Cashius Howell or T.J. Parker between those two picks, but expecting either of them to come in and immediately elevate the front seven is tricky.

This is what Dallas signed up for by trading Parsons away. Yes, they have the resources to bring in new edge talent. But they gave up the “bird in hand,” and one that only a few guys on earth can match in terms of overall impact. It’s certainly possible, as we just saw with the Seahawks, to have a great defense without one dominant pass rusher. But you can’t just re-sign Clowney and expect Christian Parker to work miracles. They have to fill some of that Parsons void with superior talent to what they fielded in 2025.

What moves in this area would you make to improve the pass rush?