Cowboys DL depth chart: Defensive line at training camp

The Cowboys’ have two star edge rushers in Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. Ever since Parsons entered the league in 2021, the Cowboys have been the team with the sixth-most sacks. Unfortunately, they lost fellow stars Dante Fowler and Dorance Armstrong in the offseason, two key edge players.

And the biggest problem the Cowboys face on defense is the interior defensive line, which was a huge weakness for them in 2023. Their inability to stop the run was the reason for almost all of their losses and was certainly a big factor in their playoff flop against the Packers. In their Week 3 loss against the Cardinals, the Cowboys gave up 222 rushing yards. In Week 5, they gave up 170 in the loss to the 49ers, and in Week 15, they gave up 266 in their loss to the Bills.

Despite these well-documented and known issues on the interior DL, the Cowboys did very little to change it in the offseason (insert faux shock here). Rather, they hope that Osa Odighizua and Mazi Smith will just be better this year. New defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer will also be making plans to utilize his players differently to help with this problem.

As soon as the Cowboys started training camp last week, they were dealt another blow. Defensive end Sam Williams suffered a season-ending ACL/MCL injury during practice. He was expected to play a significant role on the Dallas defense. Since then, the Cowboys have brought in several players to work out with the team and have now signed one and are expected to sign another - Al-Quadin Muhammad and Shaka Toney. They will not play the same role Williams would have, but do offer some more needed depth. However, it’s still early. Neither one is guaranteed to be on the squad in September.

So, here’s who’s on the defensive line heading into the second week of Dallas Cowboys training camp.

2024 Dallas Cowboys defensive line depth chart

LDT1: Mazi Smith

Mazi Smith had an extremely underwhelming rookie year last season after the Cowboys picked him in the first round, and much was made of his 30-pound weight loss. He now says he’s been “eating right” in the offseason and is back up to 328 pounds, which in theory should help him play better against the run.

Mike Zimmer will have a completely different scheme for the defense, including how he plans to utilize Smith, and so far in training camp, Zimmer has liked what he’s seen from him.

LDT2: Chauncey Golston

During his three seasons with the Cowboys after going in the third round of the 2021 draft, Golston has moved between defensive end and tackle, but he’s never really perfected either one. He has just 3.5 sacks in his career, but has been more effective at stopping the run. Now with Johnathan Hankins gone, he’s listed as a tackle. He’s had just three starts in four seasons, but he has the chance to compete for the starting job with second-year Mazi Smith.

LDT3: Justin Rogers

The Cowboys drafted Rogers in the seventh round out of Kentucky. In his final season with the Wildcats, Rogers played just seven games and had 17 tackles and one sack. He still has a lot to prove as training camp and the preseason go on.

RDT1: Osa Odighizuwa

Odighizuwa recorded three sacks in his first two games last season, but didn’t get another all season. He’s done a better job at stopping the run than the other defensive linemen on the current interior though, and recorded 10 quarterback hits, 31 quarterback hurries, and nine tackles for loss. He’ll need to show a little more consistency, but at the moment, he’s the best man on the Cowboys’ interior DL.

RDT2: Carl Davis Jr.

The Cowboys resigned Davis ahead of free agency this year. At 31 years old, he’s played for various NFL teams and spent last season in Dallas, active for just three games. In his 19 starts in the league, he has 68 combined tackles. With his limited snaps with the Cowboys, it’s hard to say how he’ll perform. He’s one to watch as training camp progresses.

RDT3: Denzel Daxon

The 6′2″, 304 pound rookie out of Illinois came off the bench in college and impressed with his run-stop abilities. He also played ball at Ohio University, and in the 36 games he played at both schools, he recorded 38 total tackles, three for a loss, and one sack. He spent his senior season at Illinois at nose tackle. The Cowboys signed him as an undrafted free agent and he’s now in competition with Davis and Rogers to earn his spot.

LDE1: DeMarcus Lawrence

Lawrence is one of the best edge rushers in the game. The four-time Pro Bowler is entering his 11th season in the league and has been a consistently solid player, albeit without the amount of sacks to show for it - only 10 in the last two seasons. If we can ignore that number and just look at what Lawrence does on the field, however, we can see his value clear as day. He consistently creates pressure, with 59 and 48 over the last two seasons, respectively.

And talking about stopping the run, that’s something Lawrence also does well. Lining up opposite of Parsons, who is consistently double and triple-teamed, also helps Lawrence’s case.

LDE2: Al-Quadin Muhammad

Al-Quadin Muhammad was signed by the Cowboys on Thursday as they desperately look to replace Williams. Muhammad spent his rookie season with the Saints, but was released after a year. He spent the next four seasons with the Colts, recording 11 sacks. He played for the Chicago Bears in the 2022 season, but never really fit in, recording just one sack. He went back to the Colts in 2023 but sat out the whole season as he was on the practice squad and then suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He adds some depth to the roster, but has a lot to prove, both in play and in maturity.

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LDE3: Tyrus Wheat

Wheat was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent last year. He’s still got improving to do, both against the run and as a pass rusher. He played in 12 games last season and only contributed 31 snaps on defense. He did play on 63% of special teams snaps though.

LDE4: Durrell Johnson

Heading into his second NFL season, Johnson still needs to prove he can perform at the professional level. He played well in college, recording 17.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions in three seasons for Liberty. He needs to show that same kind of effort in the big league.

LDE5: Byron Vaughns

Byron Vaughns signed as an undrafted free agent after playing football at Baylor, Texas, and Utah State. In his final season with Baylor, he recorded 32 tackles, eight for a loss, and three sacks. He has experience playing linebacker both on and off the ball, and now the rookie is hoping for a spot on the practice squad as Cowboys training camp heads into the second week.

RDE1: Micah Parsons

Parsons is the bright spot in the otherwise dim defensive line heading into the 2024 season. Whether he’s lining up at linebacker or edge, Parsons is an elite athlete. The three-time Pro Bowler/two-time All Pro will continue to be the leader of the DL this season.

RDE2: Marshawn Kneeland

With Sam Williams out, the pressure is on rookie Marshawn Kneeland, who the Cowboys picked in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Western Michigan.

“Marshawn Kneeland has done a really nice job,” said Zimmer. “He would’ve played anyway, but I think he’s going to end up having to play a lot now.”

With Armstrong and Fowler gone, he was a good choice for Dallas, who I REPEAT, needs all the help they can get in stopping the run. In his last two seasons in college, Kneeland posted a 99% run-stop percentage. (!!) Kneeland himself says the Cowboys are getting “violence” from him. “Physical, high-motor, high-effort. Always find a way to get to the ball.” Promising words - don’t let us down, Kneeland.

RDE3: Viliami Fehoko Jr.

Fehoko was taken by the Cowboys in the fourth round of last year’s draft, but unfortunately, he saw very little action on the field and thus didn’t record a single tackle in his rookie season. He was behind Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler, and Sam Williams, who are all gone now, so it’s his chance to step up.