Marist Liufau’s path in Dallas has reached a critical point, and the Cowboys are now asking him to make a major adjustment just to stay in the picture.
The 2024 third-round pick is shifting from off-ball linebacker to edge rusher under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker, a move that says plenty about where things stand after two uneven seasons. Liufau was a rotational linebacker as a rookie and started nine games, but his coverage issues showed up fast once his role expanded late in the 2024 season. PFF graded him poorly across the board, though that came in his first year.
The second season didn’t bring the jump Dallas wanted. Under Matt Eberflus, Liufau’s defensive snaps were cut more than in half, and he settled into a special teams role while becoming an afterthought on defense. Even in limited work, the problems stayed the same: shaky pass coverage and a missed tackle rate of 28.0%.
That’s part of why Parker is trying him on the edge. The hope is simple enough - keep him away from coverage responsibilities and let him concentrate on rushing the passer and setting the edge against the run. It may be the best chance left to salvage value from a player the Cowboys spent a Day 2 pick on.
Still, this is a tough sell as anything other than a last-ditch move. A position switch after two seasons is rarely a sign of confidence, and Liufau is clearly under pressure to show something quickly.
Bleacher Report suggested Dallas might be better off turning him into trade value instead of risking a total loss. The outlet noted that Liufau has 80 tackles, five for loss, 2.5 sacks and three pass breakups in 34 games with 14 starts, and floated the idea that if the edge experiment fails, the Cowboys could shop him before final roster cuts. Teams looking for a rotational pass-rusher might still see upside in the 25-year-old.
The problem for Liufau is the numbers on the depth chart. Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku should be starters, Malachi Lawrence is expected to matter right away, and James Houston, Sam Williams and rookie LT Overton are also ahead of him in the mix. Dallas has also signed edge Charles Snowden.
That leaves Liufau in a steep climb just to hold onto a role. If he doesn’t make a strong impression in training camp, Jerry Jones may be forced to face the reality that the Cowboys’ 2024 third-round pick isn’t going to work out.
In Other News...
Jerry Jones' Rare Splash Is Already Sparking Regret In Dallas
The Cowboys made one of their more notable moves of the 2026 free agency period by bringing in safety Jalen Thompson on a three-year, $33 million deal, a rare splash that was meant to add experience and versatility to the back end of the defense. Thompson is viewed as a player who can help in multiple spots, including nickel, box and deep safety, and Dallas is counting on him to fit quickly into Christian Parkers scheme.
Still, not everyone sees the signing as an immediate win for Jerry Jones and company. One Bleacher Report analyst flagged Thompson as a potential bust for Dallas, pointing to a stretch without an interception since the 2023 season and pass defense numbers that have left some skepticism around his impact, which is the kind of early second-guessing that tends to follow a big-money addition in Dallas. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Fans Still Feel The Pain Of This Texas Stadium Night
Texas Stadium spent decades as one of the NFLs most recognizable homes, and the final chapter there came on Dec. 20, 2008, with the Cowboys facing the Ravens in a game that already carried the weight of history. Dallas fell 33-24, and the nights defining football moments came late, when Baltimore broke it open with a pair of long fourth-quarter touchdown runs that put the finish line beyond reach.
Even after the final whistle, the building still had one more rite to go through, with a farewell ceremony that brought out some of the franchises biggest names to honor what the old stadium had meant to the Cowboys and their fans. For everyone in attendance, it was a goodbye to a place that had hosted generations of memories, and one of those nights that still lingers because it felt like the end of an era before anyone quite wanted to say it out loud. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys May Have Found A New Defensive Cornerstone In Donovan Ezeiruaku
Donovan Ezeiruaku arrived in Dallas as the 44th overall pick in the 2025 draft, and by the time his rookie season settled in, he had already carved out a real role on a defense in transition. With Micah Parsons gone, Ezeiruaku saw more snaps and made the most of them, finishing with 40 tackles, two sacks and a 73.1 PFF grade while showing enough edge juice to look like more than a depth piece.
PFFs breakout recognition only adds to the sense that the Cowboys may have something here, especially with a new defensive setup coming in 2026. Under Christian Parker, Dallas is expected to shift into a 3-4 front, and the plan is to move Ezeiruaku to outside linebacker, a change that could put his pass-rush traits to even better use if he keeps building on what he showed as a rookie. [Read more 🡒]