When the [Dallas Cowboys](https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/) head into training camp next month, some roster positions will have more room for discussion than others. Outside of Micah Parsons’ contract, there isn’t much left to talk about at defensive end. Four players appear to be roster locks, leaving the rest of the prospects fighting for perhaps just one last spot on the depth chart.
Whatever his long-term future is, Parsons will be here in 2025. So will second-round rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku, regardless of how well he does or doesn’t perform this summer. Even the slowest of starts rarely knocks a Day 2 pick off the roster. Parsons and Ezeiruaku are the two surest things to make the team, far above any roster bubble.
Two other players we consider locks are veteran Dante Fowler and second-year prospect Marshawn Kneeland. Fowler returns to Dallas on a one-year contract after posting 10.5 sacks for the Commanders last season. With $5 million in guarantees, Fowler’s game would have to go off a cliff to not make the roster. He does turn 31 in August, but he should still have more than enough juice for a rotational pass-rushing role. Having played here from 2022-2023, Fowler is well-known to the team and they signed him for a reason.
Kneeland enters his second season with rising enthusiasm. He was flashing things last year but also missed six games with a meniscus injury. He’s been lighting up the practice field so far this spring, forging a clear path to replacing DeMarcus Lawrence as a primary run defender. Even if the offseason hype doesn’t translate to regular-season production, which is known to happen around here, it’s hard to imagine Kneeland not making the team still so early into his career.
So with the assumption that those four defensive ends are on the roster, that leaves just one or two more spots for others. Let’s look at some of the top candidates to claim those jobs.
### **Sam Williams**
The Cowboys have used three of their last four second-round picks on defensive ends. One reason is that their 2022 attempt hasn’t worked out so far. Williams has shown strong pass-rushing potential at times, registering eight sacks in his first two years despite only a bit role in the 26 games he played. But legal issues in 2023 raised character and liability concerns, and then a torn ACL in last year’s training camp robbed him of a great opportunity to change doubters’ minds.
Williams is back but now has shinier new toys ahead of him. At 26 years old and with just a year left on his rookie deal, he can’t afford further disappointment. He’s still got a chance if he’s clearly the best of the remaining bunch, but the Cowboys could easily lean toward saving $1.5 million on the cap and investing in younger prospects. Williams has to convince them that he’s worth hanging on to.
### Payton Turner
Another guy looking for a second chance, Turner was a late first-round pick by the Saints but was your prototypical bust. While having great physical potential for the position at 6’6”, he needed technical development and missed a lot of work with injuries throughout his four years in New Orleans. He entered free agency with a crashed stock and Dallas pulled him out of the bargain bin.
The Cowboys love reclamation attempts and are hoping Turner can at least help in run defense, filling the space vacated by Chauncey Golston’s departure in free agency. At the very least, his size could give him an edge (no pun intended) on some of the more pure pass-rushing prospects. More often than not in these situations, you quickly find out why a guy was available. But Dallas has hit on a few of these dice rolls before, and at least Turner has a legitimate opportunity for a job.
### Tyrus Wheat
An undrafted free agent in 2023, Wheat has appeared in 20 games as an on-and-off roster member and practice squadder. Almost all of his rookie snaps came on special teams, but he was in on 165 defensive plays last season as a pass rusher. With two years of development and the chance for a third-year leap, Wheat could be a surprising winner in this bubble battle. Special teams becomes more and more important the further down the depth chart you go, and that could be his edge over Williams and Turner.
That feels like where the competition realistically ends. Whether there’s one or two roster spots left for defensive ends, those three guys are your clear front-runners. Other prospects like Earnest Brown IV or Luiji Vilain might make a surprising push, especially with changes coming under new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. But already 26 and 27 years old themselves, respectively, Brown and Vilain are really just camp bodies until further notice.
Eberflus’ arrival may be the best thing for guys like Williams and Turner. Both needing fresh starts, they also get one of the league’s most respected defensive minds. Not that they weren’t in good hands with the likes of Dan Quinn and Mike Zimmer, but you never know how new scenery and a new voice can impact someone’s career. And at least with a new DC and assistants, it can level the playing field a little with the guys who have more career momentum.
Compared to other positions this offseason, defensive end doesn’t cause the same heartburn for Dallas in 2025. They’ve got one of the best of the best in Parsons, plus two exciting young prospects and a veteran leader behind him. They even have some upside in prospects for those last few roster spots. They do need some of this potential to manifest for the group to be effective, but Eberflus gives good reason for confidence.