The Dallas Cowboys' defense is in shambles one month into the 2025 campaign. They have allowed the most yards and second-most points in the NFL through four weeks, and the primary reason for that is their disastrous secondary.
DaRon Bland has been dealing with an injury, Trevon Diggs is not looking like himself, the Kaiir Elam trade has not worked so far, and Donovan Wilson is showing signs of decline. It is, therefore, difficult to understand why the Cowboys are sitting idly by instead of making moves to address these concerns.
On Wednesday, the front office watched a former Cowboys cornerback sign with the Baltimore Ravens. Amani Oruwariye, who spent last season in Dallas, will be joining the Ravens following injuries to Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
Cowboys Should Have Brought Back Amani Oruwariye
Cowboys fans likely remember Oruwariye from his special team mishap in Week 14 against the Bengals. With two minutes left in the game, the veteran defender muffed a blocked punt that was eventually recovered by Cincinnati, who eventually scored to win the game. This play stole all the headlines and became the representative of the disastrous Cowboys season.
Outside of that one play, however, Oruwariye was more than competent as a backup. His season was limited to seven games (4 starts) due to injuries, but when he was available, he held his own, finishing with a 60.0 overall defensive grade and a 63.9 coverage grade on Pro Football Focus. While those may not seem that impressive at first, they would rank third among the team's current crop of cornerbacks.
Considering how poorly Elam and Trikweze Bridges have played so far, it would be difficult to argue that Oruwariye wouldn't be an obvious upgrade.
Yet, the frustration towards owner/general manager Jerry Jones and the Cowboys' top brass is less about Oruwariye and more about the lack of urgency in addressing the obvious weaknesses of the team. There is the sense that defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and head coach Brian Schottenheimer are doing more of the same and are expecting different results week in and week out.
If every single member of Dallas' secondary is playing worse than their best versions, then only schematic issues can be to blame, but more depth and quality, especially from players familiar with the organization, could have certainly helped.
The Cowboys have an excellent chance to turn things around in the next two weeks, going up against the New York Jets and the Carolina Panthers, who have a combined 1-7 record so far. Let's hope that the defense can look better against those anemic offenses, and the Cowboys don't regret passing on a reunion opportunity with Oruwariye.