The Dallas Cowboys are one of the biggest winners of the trade deadline, at least on paper. Team owner/GM Jerry Jones wasn't lying when he hinted at some big moves on Monday, and the 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals may have forced his hand to be even more aggressive.
Not only did this team move on from flawed first-round pick Mazi Smith, but they replaced him with a top-tier defensive tackle like Quinnen Williams. If that wasn't enough, they added another proven veteran in linebacker Logan Wilson. Now, there's no more room for excuses.
Matt Eberflus Has No More Excuses
The Dallas Cowboys have one of the best offenses as well as one of the worst defenses in the NFL throughout the 2025 campaign. Those woes came back to haunt them again on Monday night, as they allowed Jacoby Brissett and the slumping Cardinals to put up 27 points and 340 total yards of offense against them.
Quinnen Williams, who owns a 79.7 Pro Football Focus grade, the seventh-highest in the league, should work wonders for a team that's giving up 143.0 rushing yards per game, the third-most in the league. He's also an elite pass rusher at his position, logging 19 pressures and three QB hits.
Williams has been one of the most dominant run-stoppers in his seven years in the league. Fixing the run defense was one of the team's offseason priorities, and pairing him with Kenny Clark, who struggled in recent weeks, should give this team one of the best defensive tackle tandems in the game.
As for Wilson, he should fill a big void at linebacker for a team that hasn't gotten much production at the position. He's made eight appearances (seven starts) for the Cincinnati Bengals this season, logging 46 total tackles (19 solo), four passes defensed, and one fumble recovered. He also has a durable player who has rarely missed games with injuries, which is a rare sight for the 2025 Cowboys.
On top of that, the Cowboys will get young studs DeMarvion Overshown and Shavon Revel Jr. on the field at some point this season. If they add a talented free agent like Asante Samuel Jr. to the mix, their once-struggling defense could finally thrive.
That's a double-edge sword for Eberflus, who arrived in Arlington with strong qualications as a defensive guru, but seemed to lack the personnel to make things work with his new team. Clearly, that will no longer be the case.