The Dallas Cowboys landed one of the biggest steals in the 2025 NFL Draft when Boston College edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku fell to them with the 44th overall pick. Projected by many analysts to be a clear first-rounder, the Cowboys had to feel like they had a Day 1 contributor on their defense at a clear position of need after DeMarcus Lawrence’s offseason departure. Unfortunately, less than a week from training camp, it’s looking like Ezeiruaku may not have the immediate impact we all hoped.
As is the case with all but two second-round picks from the 2025 draft, Ezeiruaku has not signed his rookie contract. The discrepancy around the league stems from Houston signing second-round pick Jayden Higgins to a fully guaranteed contract, which fellow second-rounders are now holding out for. And that there is the potential issue for the Cowboys, namely that Ezeiruaku could be a camp holdout for some period of time until that rookie deal is signed.
To be clear, Dallas has some options at edge rusher to pair with Micah Parsons. Having said that, Ezeiruaku fits the bill most clearly to be an actual difference-maker who the Cowboys could add on defense opposite Parsons on the edge. But him not being there for the full training camp as a rookie would absolutely set a crisis into motion.
Donovan Ezeiruaku holding out of Cowboys training camp would be a disaster
While the reports out of Dallas on the second-round rookie throughout the summer and in minicamps were all glowing, that doesn’t diminish the importance of training camp for rookies. First-year players, no matter how talented, need to put the pads on to have a chance of fully adjusting to NFL-caliber athletes, strength and speed. Furthermore, they continue to get introduced to new elements of the playbook and, in this case, the defensive scheme. That’s even truer in Dallas with a new coordinator in place, Matt Eberflus.
Ezeiruaku missing any portion of training camp would ultimately put him behind the 8-ball whenever he does show up. He’ll have a steeper learning curve due to the fact that he will have less time to get up to speed in all the areas that he needs to. It also increases the likelihood that Week 1 arrives and he’s actually not completely ready to be the No. 2 edge rusher on the depth chart, which would be the hope.
Again, the Cowboys have veterans who can contribute. Dallas brought back Dante Fowler Jr. in free agency this offseason, while also having two more former second-round picks, Sam Williams and Marshawn Kneeland, and another free agent addition in Payton Turner. My argument for adding a player like Ezeiruaku in the draft, though, was always that they needed someone more bankable, which I believe the rookie could be.
Right now, it seems like Dallas is in the same spot as most other teams, waiting for who’s going to blink when it comes to these second-round rookie contracts. If I’m the Cowboys, though, I’m giving heavy consideration to blinking sooner rather than later, because Ezeiruaku missing any of training camp could send ripple effects throughout the rest of the 2025 season — and not fun ripples.
