The Cowboys’ weekend move for Von Miller did more than add a veteran pass rusher. It may have pushed Marist Liufau to the edge of the roster picture for good.
Dallas agreed to terms with Miller on Sunday night, bringing the DeSoto native back to Texas and giving the defense the experienced presence it was missing. Miller might not be ready to practice immediately, but his arrival changes the math for everyone fighting for snaps at outside linebacker.
And that’s where Liufau enters the conversation.
The 2024 third-round pick already faced a difficult climb. Dallas drafted him out of Notre Dame as a typical outside linebacker and hoped he could settle in as a rotational piece, but he has not made much of an impact through two seasons.
As a rookie, Liufau made nine starts, mostly because injuries opened the door. He fit Mike Zimmer’s scheme because of his size and produced 1.5 sacks and 50 tackles, but that momentum didn’t carry forward.
His role shrank under Matt Eberflus, and now he’s working under his third defensive coordinator in three years. This offseason brought another shift, with Christian Parker and his staff moving Liufau into an edge-rushing role - a position that, based on what Dallas thought when it drafted him, does not appear to be his best fit.
The numbers tell the story too. Liufau has only 2.5 sacks in two seasons, and the Cowboys’ offseason moves suggest the team didn’t enter camp expecting him to suddenly become a dependable pass rusher.
That’s what makes the roster squeeze so brutal. Dallas already added Rashan Gary and Malachi Lawrence, while Donovan Ezeiruaku, James Houston, and Sam Williams are all back in the mix.
Even before Miller arrived, Liufau’s path looked crowded. After the signing, it looks even tighter.
Liufau did have one encouraging moment in the first preseason game, coming off the edge to bring down a Seahawks running back for a loss. But when it came to rushing the passer, Houston was the one who stood out, piling up back-to-back sacks on the same possession.
Liufau still has two years left on his rookie deal, so Dallas could hang on to him for depth. But with Miller expected to play right away and the depth chart stacking up around him, Liufau now looks buried at outside linebacker.
For now, his future in Dallas feels very much in doubt.
In Other News...
Cowboys Camp Battle At Left Tackle Just Got More Interesting
Training camp is already giving the Cowboys a clearer picture of how they want to sort out the left side of their offensive line, and rookie Shelton has become part of that conversation. The fourth-round pick from the 2026 NFL Draft has been working with the second-team unit at left tackle, a sign that Dallas is taking a closer look at his versatility while it continues to mix and match pieces up front.
Shelton is hardly the only lineman getting reps in a moving competition. Nate Thomas, Trevor Keegan, TJ Bass and Nick Leverett have all been cycling through different spots as the Cowboys try to find the right combinations in practice. The left tackle picture remains fluid for now, which is exactly what makes this stretch of camp worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
DeMarcus Lawrence Faced One More Career Decision After Finally Winning It All
DeMarcus Lawrence finally reached the top of the sport in the 2025 season, winning his first Super Bowl ring with the Seattle Seahawks after 11 years with the Dallas Cowboys. After a long run in Dallas, the championship gave him the kind of ending so many players spend their entire careers chasing, and for a moment it looked like he might walk away from football with that feeling still fresh.
Instead, Lawrence chose to give the game one more year, a decision shaped in part by his family situation and the support around him. What makes the next chapter especially notable is that it is already set to be his final one, leaving one last season for a veteran pass rusher who spent years grinding for a title and now gets a closing act on his own terms. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Suddenly Have A Tackle Problem They Cant Ignore
After the Cowboys first preseason game, the most uneasy feeling in the building is back at offensive tackle, where the depth chart already looks thinner than anyone would like this time of year. Nate Thomas had a rough opening stretch, and Drew Shelton, the recent draft pick getting his first look, was part of the same problem as Dallas tried to sort through a position group that suddenly feels too vulnerable for comfort.
The Cowboys have a little time to fix it, but not much, and the rest of the preseason will be watched closely for help both inside the building and beyond it. If the current options keep flashing the same issues, Dallas may have to lean on waivers or explore trade possibilities before the regular season starts, because this is the kind of problem that can snowball quickly once the games count. [Read more 🡒]