In this his episode of Between the Lines we flip the attention to the defensive line, where chaos meets strategy. This is where the Cowboys’ games are won and lost so let’s dive in.
Interior Defensive Line
Osa Odighizuwa
(2025 Stats: 376 Total snaps, 25 Total Tackles, 3 TFL, 25 Pressures, 1 Sack)
Grade: 60.4
Solomon Thomas
(2025 Stats: 273 Total snaps, 19 Total Tackles, 2 TFL, 9 Pressures, 0 Sacks, 1 PD)
Grade: 62.8
Kenny Clark
(2025 Stats: 416 Total snaps, 21 Total Tackles, 4 TFL, 27 Pressures, 2.5 Sacks)
Grade: 62.2
Jay Toia
(2025 Stats: 76 Total snaps, 3 Total Tackle, 0 TFL,
1 Pressures, 0 Sacks)
Grade: 29.5
Quinnen Williams
(2025 Stats: 355 Total snaps, 32 Total Tackle, 7 TFL, 19 Pressures, 1 Sack)
Grade: 79.7
The Cowboys currently rank seventh in Run Stop Win Rate (32%) and 16th in Pass Rush Win Rate (37%). Individually, Solomon Thomas sits first among defensive tackles in Run Stop Win Rate (48%), while Osa Odighizuwa ranks 16th in defensive tackle Pass Rush Win Rate (10%), a nice power/quickness blend around Kenny Clark at the nose. What is even better for Dallas heading into this week is Quinnen Williams. He sits right behind Thomas is the rankings with 47% Run Stop Win Rate, meaning Dallas now holds the first- and second-best run stopper on the inside.
On the opposite side, Las Vegas comes in with some injury issues that hinders its efficiency. At tackle, Kolton Miller is on injured reserve, and Jackson Powers-Johnson also went to IR this season. Dylan Parham is also injured meaning this offensive line is in serious trouble at the moment. Center Jordan Meredith shows up with a 96% Pass Block Win Rate, that puts him in the top-15 among inside offensive linemen. As a unit, the Raiders are 20th in Pass Block Win Rate (60%) and 18th in Run Block Win Rate (71%), showing there are some pieces on the line, but there are areas to be exploited here.
Geno Smith is the trigger man. He’s registered 1,844 passing yards, 11 TD, 12 INT, and 27 sacks taken through nine games, that’s the fourth-most sacks among quarterbacks this year. Rookie first-rounder Ashton Jeanty is carrying the run game with 547 rushing yards, 3.8 yards per carry, while the team sits 29th in rushing yards per game (87.4), so they need efficiency, not volume, to stay on schedule. The Raiders also have just 15.4 points per game (31st) with a 39.3% third-down rate (15th), which shows this team has a weird combination that screams boom-or-bust possessions that must be exploited.
Defensive End
Sam Williams
(2025 Stats: 285 Total snaps, 16 Total Tackles, 3 TFL, 15 Pressures, 1 Sack, 1 FR, 1 PD)
Grade: 40.1
Dante Fowler Jr.
(2025 Stats: 214 Total snaps, 9 Total Tackles, 3 TFL, 21 Pressures, 2 Sacks, 2 PD)
Grade: 81.5
Donovan Ezeiruaku
(2025 Stats: 318 Total snaps, 20 Total tackle, 6 TFL, 22 Pressures, 2 Sacks, 1 FF)
Grade: 79.6
James Houston
(2025 Stats: 152 Total snaps, 20 Total tackles, 4 TFL, 11 Pressures, 4 Sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR)
Grade: 65.6
Jadeveon Clowney
(2025 Stats: 159 Total snaps, 18 Total tackles, 3 TFL, 15 Pressures, 2 Sacks, 1 FR, 3 PD)
Grade: 72.6
Dante Fowler Jr. is the pace car for Dallas off the edge. He’s currently seventh in Edge Pass Rush Win Rate (21%), with a strong PFF profile of 81.5 overall, that’s the highest on the team and 15th-best among edge rushers. The stat line is modest with just two sacks, but the down-to-down wins are there. He’ll see plenty of right tackle snaps versus DJ Glaze, who leads the team in most pressures allowed (22). Here Fowler’s speed-to-power is an asset, and he must finish when Geno Smith hitches.
Donovan Ezeiruaku will look to have his role increased going forward as he’s really come along as of late. The rookie’s box score of two sacks undersells his impact. He has the highest number of pressures on the team among the edge rushers and second-highest defensive grade on the team.
Sam Williams is the wild card and hasn’t set the season on fire. The tools are obvious with him, the blocked punt proving he has the get-off and speed, but the production and consistency on defense hasn’t caught up yet. Although the Raiders’ two interior starters grade well in Pass Block Win Rate, their communication has still sprung leaks on stunts which suits Williams on third-and-long plays.
If Dallas’ edges keep Las Vegas off-schedule and turn this into a long-down game, the numbers say the matchups tilt toward Dallas. Fowler’s win rate travels, Ezeiruaku and Jadeveon Clowney can kill the opposite side, and the Raiders’ protection cohesion begins to fall apart with each snap.
