Cowboys vs Commanders: 3 players Dallas should use more in Week 7

"Coming into the regular season, expectations were high for second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku. After the Cowboys traded Micah Parsons away a little over a week before their first game, many believed Ezeiruaku would step into a more significant role in Dallas' defense. The Boston College product totaled 16.5 sacks during his senior year at BC, the most in college football, so the hope was that he could replicate some of that production in a Parsons-less Cowboys defense."

"Through the first four games of the season, that had not been the case. Ezeiruaku's NFL career got off to a slow start, as the 22-year-old struggled to be an effective pass rush threat. In his first four NFL games, Ezeiruaku totaled just four pressures and three quarterback hits, recording a pass-rush grade below 60 three times. It's not easy to make an immediate impact as a pass rusher in the NFL, and Ezeiruaku was learning that the hard way."

"The second-round pick followed that up with another solid showing against the Panthers on Sunday, finishing the day as Dallas' highest-graded pass rusher. Ezeiruaku was also arguably Dallas' best defensive end against the run against Carolina, showing the ability to do more than be just a pass-rush threat. In Dallas' last two games, Ezeiruaku has totaled seven pressures, five QB hits, and two hurries, surpassing his totals from the first four games combined."

The Dallas Cowboys lost 30-27 to the Carolina Panthers and need to clean up multiple areas before facing the Washington Commanders. Second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku entered the season with high expectations after Micah Parsons was traded, and he posted 16.5 sacks as a senior at Boston College. Ezeiruaku struggled early, compiling only four pressures and three quarterback hits in his first four NFL games and recording pass-rush grades below 60 multiple times. Recent performances against the New York Jets and Panthers have shown notable improvement: seven pressures, five QB hits, and two hurries in the last two games, plus strong run-defense play, suggesting he is coming into his own six games into his career.

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