Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys have a fresh roster of new talent for 2026. Their biggest draft gets were Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and UCF defensive end Malachi Lawrence, and while it’s always good to see fresh faces on the field, sometimes, there’s a player in hiding who isn’t brand-new but ready to bloom.
That’s the case for one Cowboys player whose name you don’t hear often. This is a player who’s entering his second year with the team, and it could be his big breakout year.
That player is edge-rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku. In a feature released on Wednesday, Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report says that he believes Ezeiruaku is the player in Dallas most likely to break out in 2026.
Cowboys may have a rising star already in Dallas for 2026
“First-rounder Tyler Booker is on the ideal track following a strong rookie season at right guard, but Ezeiruaku had just two sacks despite taking more than 600 snaps as a rookie second-round selection,” he notes in the piece. “He did, however, post a top-five pass-rushing grade among qualified rookies at Pro Football Focus, and he could benefit from more talent elsewhere on the edge in Christian Parker’s intriguing new defense.”
Frankly, the Cowboys have a lot of edge-rusher and defensive talent, in general, this season. With Rashan Gary and Lawrence in the fold, it’s possible Ezeiruaku doesn’t even get the playing time he deserves. Plus, he’s recovering from hip labrum surgery that he had in January. But if he’s healthy and gets that playing time, it could be a big year for him.