Brian Schottenheimer didn’t waste much time making his point after Donovan Ezeiruaku’s practice ejection on Tuesday.
The Cowboys’ second padded workout of training camp ended with the second-year edge rusher getting into a scuffle with right tackle Terence Steele, then throwing a punch. Schottenheimer cut it off immediately, ejecting Ezeiruaku for crossing a line the coach clearly won’t let his team blur, even in camp.
Before Dallas’ third full-pads practice on Thursday, Schottenheimer laid out the issue in plain terms.
“He’s an incredible play style guy. He plays the game the right way, but at the same time we have to have a plan,” Schotty said of the young EDGE. “He gets hot and when he feels his temperature rising, what is the plan?"
"He and I discussed a couple different options," Schottenheimer added. "I think we’ve got a good thing in place, but again, I don’t [want to] take it away, the edge that he plays on, but when you throw a punch, you’ve gone over the edge.
“[The referees] would’ve thrown him out the game, and that hurts the team.”
That’s the heart of it for Schottenheimer: the fire is welcome, the punch is not. He made it clear that Ezeiruaku’s edge is part of what makes him effective, but discipline has to hold the line.
“It’s discipline,” Schottenheimer added. “It’s discipline to be pissed off, but not go above the line and do something that penalizes the team.”
This isn’t the first time Ezeiruaku has let frustration get the better of him. He was ejected from the Week 18 game against the New York Giants last season after pulling off the helmet of a Giants offensive lineman during a scuffle.
The Cowboys still have plenty of reason to be encouraged by what they’ve seen from the 2025 second-round pick. He put together a rookie season that included two sacks and 36 pressures, and now he’s being counted on for a larger role.
Ezeiruaku is expected to start opposite Rashan Gary at the other edge spot, a setup that should help lighten the load on the Boston College product as he moves into a bigger responsibility and tries to match the breakout buzz around him.
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