The Dallas Cowboys made two significant acquisitions before the NFL trade deadline in an effort to address their defensive struggles.
Dallas acquired linebacker Logan Wilson from the Cincinnati Bengals before adding All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets.
The Cowboys managed to complete both deals without surrendering either of their first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Yet, former Cowboys defensive end Chris Canty remains skeptical about whether these new players can spark a turnaround this season.
“The season has been over for a while now. The Dallas Cowboys are not a Micah Parsons away from being a good defense. The Dallas Cowboys are allowing opponents to score on 49.5 percent of their drives. That’s tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for the worst in the league. The reality of the roster just ain’t there,” Canty said.
"The season has been over for a while now. … The reality is the roster just ain't there."@ChrisCanty99 doesn't see the Cowboys turning their season around 😅 pic.twitter.com/HtCOW4QzkE
— First Take (@FirstTake) November 4, 2025
The numbers support his concerns about the state of the Dallas defense under coordinator Matt Eberflus.
The Cowboys are surrendering 30.8 points per game, which is second-worst in the NFL this season.
This is only the third time in franchise history that Dallas has allowed 30 or more points through nine games, joining the 1960 and 2020 seasons.
No team in league history has reached the playoffs while averaging that number on defense.
The scheme shift under Eberflus has created significant issues for a roster built around former coordinator Dan Quinn’s system.
From 2021 through 2023, Dallas deployed man coverage on 33.8 percent of defensive snaps, the third-highest rate in the league.
That figure has dropped to 13 percent this season under Eberflus, according to CBS Sports, which is one of the lowest marks in the NFL.
The transition to a zone-heavy approach has led to communication breakdowns and coverage mistakes in the secondary.
Dallas now faces the challenge of integrating new talent into a system that has not produced consistent results.
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