Dallas locked in Donovan Ezeiruaku on his rookie deal, Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported.
“The 44th overall pick gets 38 percent of the fourth year of the deal guaranteed in a deal negotiated by Andre Odom of Athletes First,” Garafolo shared on X (formerly Twitter).
Parsons gains a teammate fresh off delivering a staggering 16.5 sacks at Boston College. That production raised the edge rusher’s draft stock. He eventually became a notable day two draft fall.
How Donovan Ezeiruaku can form Cowboys tandem with Micah Parsons
Tyler Booker is Brian Schottenheimer’s first rookie pick. But Ezeiruaku is Dallas’ first defensive selection from the new head coach.
He comes during a pivotal time for the Cowboys, especially for Parsons. The franchise lost longtime towering pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence in free agency. Dallas lost Lawrence to a $42 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks. He then sparked a beef with Parsons following a brutal Super Bowl take that took a dig at Dallas.
Now Ezeiruaku rises as the first potential replacement for Lawrence. He’s way more undersized at 6-foot-2, 237-pounds. But the Eagles star made up for it off twitchy athleticism.
He’ll bring long arms and smooth change-of-direction speed to this defense. He turns to a forward lean and violent hands to beat blockers. Ezeiruaku’s speed then finishes off the rest of the play.
The Atlantic Coast Conference star still walks into a loaded pass rushing room outside of Parsons. Sam Williams and Marshawn Kneeland return and are vying for the No. 2 pass rusher duties. Dallas then signed Dante Fowler Jr. from the rival Washington Commanders — who delivered 10 sacks in 2024.
Fowler and Williams still enter contract years, though. Parsons endured his own contract extension chatter. The Ezeiruaku signing comes in great timing.
