Jerry Jones only has himself to blame for now believing Micah Parsons is in danger of missing the Dallas Cowboys' season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles. Calling that a setback would be a colossal understatement, but Cowboys fans can at least take solace in the fact that they have another budding star at edge rusher.
You have probably heard by now that Donovan Ezeiruaku is utterly dominating his first NFL training camp. While CeeDee Lamb has been the best player on the field in Oxnard, Ezeiruaku is making a strong case for the silver medal.
Jon Machota of The Athletic has been in awe of Ezeiruaku's performance so far and believes he's going to be tough to keep off the field for defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.
"Young edge rushers usually need time to be effective on the field. That hasn’t been the case for Ezeiruaku. His speed has jumped out from the start of camp, causing problems for whatever offensive tackle has lined up in front of him," Machota wrote.
Cowboys have a future star on their hands in Donovan Ezeiruaku
As Machota noted, young pass rushers usually need time to get acclimated to the NFL, but Ezeiruaku has enjoyed a seamless transition from the college level. He came out of Boston College with elite bend, rare quickness and a supreme wingspan with dominant production to match.
That’s not to say Ezeiruaku is a finished product.
As an undersized EDGE, it remains to be seen if he can win with power when opposing tackles neutralize his explosive get-off. He’s leaning heavily on speed for now and will need to expand his toolbox, but if Parsons is on the field he should see plenty of one-on-one matchups early in his career. If camp has been any indication, he will feast in those settings.
Of course, it is important to remember that Ezeiruaku is still a rookie. Cowboys fans shouldn’t be penciling in Pro Bowl expectations just yet. But if the EDGE room stays healthy and he carries this camp dominance into preseason, there’s no reason he can’t finish second on the team in sacks behind Parsons.
It remains baffling that Ezeiruaku slipped all the way to pick No. 44. He had no business falling out of the first round. The Cowboys may have gotten lucky in that regard, but they deserve credit for trusting their board and drafting the best player available.