Cowboys Report Card: Biggest surprises, disappointments, and why fans should be excited about the team's long-term future

Cowboys defensive superlatives

MVP: Genuinely no one deserves it

Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm not doing it. I'm not naming a player who doesn't deserve it MVP. The Cowboys defense has been dreadful. And genuinely no one has stood out in the process. You don't deserve MVP when you rank 32nd in EPA/play, success rate, points allowed per game, total yards allowed, rushing first downs allowed, third down defense.

The defense can't tackle, it can't take proper angles, it can't cover. No MVP on this side of the ball.

Glue guy: DT Osa Odighizuwa

If you ask me who's the best player on defense I would say it's Odighizuwa. He hasn't been perfect, mind you. But he's a reliable three-technique that gets in the backfield and generates pressure. He leads the Cowboys with 19 QB pressures per PFF and has yet to record a missed tackle. He gets my vote here but I'd like to see more from him in run defense.

Biggest surprise: DE James Houston

I didn't expect Houston to be the best pass rushing DE on the Cowboys in 2025 but so far that's exactly what he's been. He leads the Cowboys with 3.5 sacks and that's while playing very little. Brian Schottenheimer has suggested Houston isn't playing more because of his size versus the run.

Biggest disappointment: DC Matt Eberflus

This could be a long, long list of players. I thought about linebackers Kenneth Murray and Jack Sanborn but I can't say my expectations were that high for them to begin with. So I have to go with Eberflus here. Simply put, it's an unacceptable defense six weeks into the season.

There's a lot I can say about Eberflus' defense but the biggest problem is he keeps asking players to do what isn't their strenght. Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland are often playing soft coverage and it keeps costing the Cowboys. He keeps asking Donovan Wilson to play in coverage when that has never been his thing. Right now, I think it will be a challenge for him to finish the season in Dallas.

Turning point of the last six weeks: Cowboys allow Russell Wilson to shine

Wilson was benched a little over a week after he threw for 450 yards and three touchdowns versus the Cowboys defense. Whenever you make Wilson look like the early version of him in Seattle in 2025, you know something is wrong. Week 2 felt like when we knew how bad Dallas was.

Defense overall grade: F (there is no lower grade but I promise I tried to find one)

Cowboys' 2025 draft class superlatives

Overachiever: LB Shemar James

I'll go with the fifth-rounder that is emerging as a starter, even if it has a lot to do with injuries and his teammates playing mediocre football. James has been flying around all over the field and making tackles. He should be starting at this point. The film still shows some rookie mistakes but that's only fair from a Day 3 pick shoved into a protagonist role in Year 1.

Rookie we need to see more from: DE Donovan Ezeiruaku

The Cowboys badly need someone to step up in the pass rush department and Ezeiruaku has the biggest upside. But he needs to win one-on-ones more consistently and be better against the run. He's certainly improving and last Sunday showed some of it when he made multiple plays, including a forced fumble.

Underachiever: RB Jaydon Blue

I listed Blue as the biggest disappointment on offense. So he gets my vote here.

Draft class overall grade: C

Cowboys coaching report card

It's a tale of two sides of the ball. On one side, Matt Eberflus has been underwhelming as the Cowboys defensive coordinator. Meanwhile, I think the offensive staff has been very promising so far.

Schottenheimer looks like a legitimate NFL head coach and his talk about culture is being backed up in several ways. He is delivering on promises made in January about the offense involving pre-snap motions, play-action, and a physical run game. Speaking of, offensive coordinator Klayton Adams has brought a modern run game to Dallas, a huge reason for Williams' success at running back. Offensive line coach Conor Riley has had the Cowboys ready to go in the trenches despite having to play without multiple starters at a time.

Schottenheimer's staff on offense and its work is one of the biggest reasons to be encouraged about the 2025 season, regardless of how it ends. When was the list time the Cowboys easily adapted to losing key players on offense? Is this not the best run game in Dallas since 2016? Keep in mind, it's Javonte Williams running the ball, not rookie Ezekiel Elliott. How much credit does Schottenheimer deserve for Prescott's best football of his career yet? Schotty hasn't been perfect but he has answered questions about whether or not he belongs in the head coaching industry.

Grade: B-

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