The Dallas Cowboys will soon play their season opener against the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles. As Dallas nears the start of the 2025 campaign, we look at three under-the-radar players who may significantly impact the outcome of the Cowboys’ 2025 season.
1) Tyler Booker
It’s not often a first-round pick flies under the radar during their first preseason and training camp, but that has sort of been the case for rookie guard Tyler Booker. The Alabama product, whom Dallas selected
with the 12th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, hasn’t made many headlines so far this summer.
While that may sound concerning, for an offensive lineman, that usually is a good thing. Booker hasn’t flown under the radar because of poor performance; he’s done so because he’s seemingly made a natural transition to playing guard at the next level.
Booker earned enough trust from the Cowboys coaching staff that he played in just one of Dallas’ three preseason games, logging 28 offensive snaps in their matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. In those 28 snaps, Booker did not allow a single pressure and posted a Pro Football Focus pass blocking grade of 72.9.
While the 21-year-old rookie may not be as vital to Dallas’ overall offensive success as some of their star players, if they want to get back to the postseason, they will need improved play from their offensive line across the board. Booker will play a large part in that, and his ability to make a positive impact in the running game could go a long way in getting Dallas back to being a playoff-caliber team.
2) Jaydon Blue
Despite being picked in the fifth round, 21-year-old running back Jaydon Blue entered training camp with as much hype as any rookie in Oxnard. The speedy running back, who shockingly fell all the way to pick 150, was seen as the type of runner that could be a true difference-maker for Dallas’ offense.
While Blue has dealt with some nagging injuries throughout camp and the preseason, the former Longhorn seems like he’ll be ready to go when Dallas visits Philadelphia to open the season.
Javonte Williams seems set to be the Cowboys’ starting running back to open the season, but you could make a solid argument that Blue could end up being the most important piece of their running back room by season’s end. His game-changing speed is something you cannot teach, and it’s an aspect Dallas lacks from their other running backs.
Blue is also an excellent pass-catcher, giving him even more opportunity to make a significant impact in Dallas’ offense during his first year in the league. Out of all the rookies Dallas will have on their roster this upcoming season, Blue may have the highest ceiling. If he can stay healthy and protect the football, Blue will likely have a large impact on the success of this Cowboys team this season.
3) Kaiir Elam
When the Cowboys traded for 24-year-old cornerback Kaiir Elam back in mid-March, no one really believed the acquisition would move the needle on just how good the Cowboys could be in the 2025 season. The 2022 first-round pick never lived up to the hype during his three seasons in Buffalo, recording just two interceptions and six pass defenses in 29 career games.
Flash forward to today, and boy, have things changed. Elam, who put together as good a training camp as any player on Dallas’ defense, has worked his way into a significant role in the Cowboys’ defense.
While the news that Trevon Diggs will start the year on the 53-man roster may impact Elam’s playing time a bit, the 24-year-old still figures to see significant snaps at cornerback this upcoming season and almost certainly will be one of Dallas’ starters in Week 1 against Philadelphia. If Diggs is able to return in Week 2 or 3, Dallas may opt to slide DaRon Bland inside and keep Elam as the starting outside corner opposite the veteran Diggs.
Back fully healthy, it’s reasonable to assume DaRon Bland will look more like the All-Pro we saw in 2023 than the guy we saw in seven games last season, but the long-term health of 26-year-old Trevon Diggs is anything but certain.
This uncertainty makes Elam an extremely valuable member of Dallas’ defense. If Diggs is healthy and able to play, Elam’s playing well as an outside corner would allow them to consistently get their three best defensive backs on the field at the same time. If Diggs does go down with an injury, Dallas will rely even more on Elam to be a lockdown corner in a conference with so many talented wide receivers.
Somehow, some way, Kaiir Elam is going to have a significant impact on just how good Dallas’ defense will be this upcoming season.
