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Top Dallas Cowboys rookie hasn't signed his contract and is not even close, but it's nothing like Shemar Stewart's situation

Originally posted on A to Z Sports
By Mauricio Rodriguez | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 3:39 AM ET

Only one draft pick from the Dallas Cowboys 2025' rookie class has yet to sign his deal: Edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku.

Ezeiruaku happens to be one of the most exciting first-year players from the Cowboys. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer recently told reporters he "really, really, really, really, really" likes him. He even took plenty of reps with the starters at OTAs and minicamp.

So what's the holdup with his deal? Well, it's not an uncommon one. As of today, 30 of this year's 32 second-round draft picks around the NFL remain unsigned. And the two who happen to be under contract signed fully guaranteed deals, a rarity for second rounders.

As a result, guess what the hold up is? In all likelihood, agents want their players to get guaranteed deals as well. For context: Total values for draft pick's contracts are already established by the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association.

However, guarantees and specific language on guarantees are not and can be negotiated. If the top two second rounders got guaranteed deals, why not the rest of them? It's not a problem likely to go away soon given it involves so many players. They have leverage in numbers.

That appears to be the issue holding up the league, though Ezeiruaku is unbothered. He was a full participant at OTAs and minicamp and is expected to attend training camp as well.

“I’m here doing what I have to do every single day," Ezeiruaku told reporters earlier this month. "That’s between the organization and my agent. I have full faith that they’re gonna get that done. When it’s ready, it’ll be ready and I’ll sign that piece of paper.”

With all that being said, it's important to note something, but I feel like I have to do it after I saw a couple of content creators arguing about it on social media. This is not a Shemar Stewart-like situation , who is holding a mediatic battle with the Cincinnati Bengals and holding out from the offseason program.

I reached out to A to Z Sports' Bengals expert John Sheeran to explain.

The difference between Stewart's and Donovan Ezeiruaku's situations

While 30 second-round picks are essentially having a standoff with 30 NFL teams, Stewart's plight against Cincinnati is entirely unique to him. The Bengals want to establish a precedent with their contracts and include default language that other teams around the league have been using in their contracts for years.

Stewart doesn't want his contract to include this language since previous Cincinnati draft picks didn't have to agree to its inclusion, and according to reports, the Bengals haven't been willing to negotiate other aspects of the deal as a way to compromise to the new precedent. Cincinnati and Stewart are on an island here, and the only way for them to get off of it is to work together. No one else can help them.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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