The Dallas Cowboys are heading into the 2025 season with a new coach in Brian Schottenheimer, and Schottenheimer knows that even though this will be his first year heading up the team, if the Cowboys don’t see improvements, he’s in trouble.
Following the 2025 NFL draft, the Cowboys got mixed reviews for their selections, with NFL analyst and expert Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN giving the team a B grade for their 2025 draft selections, stating, “Overall, this is a solid, if unspectacular, haul.” His biggest quip seemed to be that the Cowboys waited until day three to get a running back in Phil Mafah, “but I had others rated over Jaydon Blue. Damien Martinez, Devin Neal and DJ Giddens were all higher in my rankings,” he added.
Going forward, the Dallas Cowboys are getting props for their edge rusher lineup going into 2025, especially one key member who was out last season for an injury.
Dallas Cowboys Get Props for Edge Rusher Unit
In a May 5 feature for ESPN, their NFL Nation team discusses the most improved aspects of each NFL team following the draft. For their research, EPSN utilized a power panel of more than 80 writers, editors and TV personalities to evaluate how NFL teams stack up against one another, ranking them from 1 to 32.
In the piece, ESPN highlights the highest profile picks, noting, “The Titans took quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 pick, the Packers selected wide receiver Matthew Golden at No. 23, and the Eagles beefed up their linebacker room with Jihaad Campbell.”
For the Dallas Cowboys, they praise the team’s edge rusher unit following the draft. That alone made their post-free agency ranking go up by 21.
“Losing DeMarcus Lawrence in free agency is a tough blow, but he played only four games last season,” Todd Archer noted in the feature. “The Cowboys will welcome back Sam Williams, a 2022 second-round pick who did not play last year because of a torn ACL.”
He added, “They signed Dante Fowler Jr., who had 10.5 sacks last season in Washington. They drafted Donovan Ezeiruaku in the second round after he was second in the FBS with 16.5 sacks in 2024. And they brought in defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton, who carries a reputation as a developer of talent.”
Cowboys’ Sam Williams is Ready to Rock
In the ESPN piece, Archer highlighted Williams as being a key piece of the puzzle back in the fold. Williams was expected to be a hot player in 2024, but he suffered an injury at the beginning of training camp that resulted in a torn ACL. But, when Williams is fully ready to be back with the team, Patrik Walker of the Dallas Cowboys’ website says he will be golden.
“It’s undetermined yet if Williams will begin this year’s training camp on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list, and that is something to keep an eye on but, once he does return to the field, you can expect to see a starved animal looking for a meal during every one of his snaps,” he stated.
In 2022, Sam Williams signed a 4 year, $6,526,744 contract with the Dallas Cowboys, including $2,009,220 signing bonus, $2,997,141 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $1,631,686, according to Spotrac.
The 2025 NFL season will officially start with the NFL Kickoff Game on Thursday, September 4.
