Dallas Cowboys: Reading between the lines (defense)
In this episode of Between the Lines we flip the attention to the defensive line, where chaos meets strategy. This is where the Cowboysâ games are won and lost so letâs dive in.
Interior Defenisve Line
Osa Odighizuwa
(2025 Stats: 168 Total snaps, 15 Total Tackles, 1 TFL, 12 Pressures, 0 Sacks)
Grade: 72.0
Solomon Thomas
(2025 Stats: 115 Total snaps, 13 Total Tackles, 1 TFL, 5 Pressures, 0 Sacks)
Grade: 56.6
Kenny Clark
(2025 Stats: 178 Total snaps, 12 Total Tackles, 1 TFL, 14 Pressures, 1 Sack)
Grade: 71.7
Mazi Smith
(2025 Stats: 33 Total snaps, 1 Total Tackles, 0 TFL, 1 Pressures, 0 Sack)
Grade: 49.3
Jay Toia
(2025 Stats: 39 Total snaps, 1 Total Tackle, 0 TFL, 0 Pressures, 0 Sack)
Grade: 29.3
The mission for Dallas this week is simple, continue to try and find its identity while trying to crush the middle. When the pocket shrinks on the inside, everything the Jets want to do slows down a half-beat. Thatâs where Kenny Clarkâs mass meets Osa Odighizuwaâs get-off. With Ckark bringing the muscle, Odighizuwa can bring the spice. Together, theyâre the âmove us or elseâ duo for Matt Eberflus.
Across the offensive line, the Jets are a surprisingly talented group thatâs fine tuning the kinks out. At offensive tackle, youâre looking at a premium blocker with their top-10 pick, Armand Membou at right tackle, heâs flying out the gates to start his NFL career. The issue has been the interior, which has been a Rubikâs Cube since Alijah Vera-Tucker went down with a tricep injury. That shuffle has Joe Tippmann bouncing inside and Josh Myers taking snaps at center, with veteran John Simpson steadying the left guard spot. The tackles can play for the Jets, but the communication issues inside is where Dallas should poke, so this is a great place for Odighizuwa to bring his A-game.
The Jetsâ pass-block win rate has hovered around league average, and their run-block win rate has been living in the top 10 this season, so thatâs perfect for a Jets coaching staff that wants to run first. But hereâs the crack Dallas can widen. Through the first month, New York has allowed pressure on about 52% of dropbacks. When the count extends and the script means playing obvious passing plays, then itâs Clark forklift time and Odighizuwaâs cross-face special.
The Cowboys have the people to make this a phone-booth game with their main two interior defenders and guys like Solomon Thomas in rotation. Dallasâ defensive tackles need to bring the pressure so that the Jets have to plan to keep things on schedule with an evolving interior. Watch this matchup carefully this week is the best advice, as whoever owns first down decides the tone of the game. If Dallas dictates the A-gaps, the Jets will stumble between the 20âs. If New York finds its rhythm early, the pocket stays in tune and the fourth quarter gets louder in MetLife, and this Cowboys defense will feel that negative energy.
Defensive End
Marshawn Kneeland
(2025 Stats: 107 Total snaps, 8 Total Tackles, 3 TFL, 3 Pressures, 1 Sack)
Grade: 59.8
Sam Williams
(2025 Stats: 141 Total snaps, 9 Total Tackles, 1 TFL, 9 Pressure, 0 Sack)
Grade: 43.0
Dante Fowler Jr.
(2025 Stats: 112 Total snaps, 3 Total Tackles, 0 TFL, 8 Pressures, 0 Sacks)
Grade: 69.2
Donovan Ezeiruaku
(2025 Stats: 115 Total snaps, 8 Total tackle, 1 TFL, 4 Pressures, 0 sack)
Grade: 56.5
James Houston
(2025 Stats: 60 Total snaps, 8 Total tackles, 3 TFL, 3 Pressures, 2 Sscks)
Grade: 73.6
Dallas is hoping to bring a gusty edge unit into Jets week. Dante Fowler Jr. is still the key name here, with Sam Williams trying to use his long-arm jolt and inside counter to disrupt the offense, but heâs been underwhelming so far this year. Jadeveon Clowney is the bouncer keeping the C-gap roped off, and last week he played an important role on some key plays. Sprinkle in Donovan Ezeiruaku and Marshawn Kneeland, and James Houston whoâs been a breath of fresh air after his strip-sack last week. The playbook for this unit is simple, widen the tackles with speed and pace, come back inside when they overset, and make the Justin Fields hit the brakes right where the help isnât.
The Jetsâ answer to the Cowboys edge rush starts at tackle, where theyâve invested in serious talent. Olu Fashanu has the feet, Armand Membou has the pop, and both can hold up without a constant chaperone. Inside is where it gets noisy with new faces as mentioned above, which means the protection calls change week to week creating a loss of cohesion. Thatâs the seam Dallas has to tug here. Pressure the A-gaps to force the slide, then reveal the real picture post-snap by isolating the uncovered tackle, loop an end through the soft B-gap and get to Fields before he has time to escape the pressure.
But in there is the problem. Itâs not just the tackles the Cowboys edge defenders need to be aware of, itâs a quarterback that can get out and create on his own. Fields changes the math when he moves the pocket or turns a bootleg into a run-and-chase. The Cowboysâ edges have to rush precisely and compress without losing contain, something this defense has problems with for as long as most can remember. Breece Hall is the straw that stirs the drink as well with slasherâs vision, home-run speed, and enough contact balance to make a good call look bad. Early-down edge discipline is non-negotiable here, so Clowney and Kneeland need to set the edge, force cuts back into traffic, and make the Jets earn every second-and-medium.
Injury Update
The Cowboys have a lengthy injury report this week, the good news is far, none from the defensive line have shown up.
