Marist Liufau is entering his third Dallas Cowboys training camp in a much different place than a year ago, and not for the better. With a new position and reversed career momentum, Liufau is under intense pressure to prove he still has a place in Dallas’ new-look defense.
Background
Years in NFL: 2
Acquired by: 2024 3rd-round pick
When the Cowboys took Liufau with the 87th pick in 2024, it was labeled a “reach” by many. But his rookie season quieted a lot of the criticism as Liufau showcased his energy, athleticism,
and a play-making spark in a semi-starting role. Going into Year 2, he felt like an ascending talent with long-term starting potential. He still had plenty of warts, which was no surprise given his inexperience and some of the knocks on him coming out of Notre Dame. But the raw material for a solid contributor seemed to be there.
Unfortunately, Liufau was one of many casualties of last year’s defensive regime. Even veterans struggled to look like they remembered how to play football for Matt Eberflus, and Liufau suffered along with them. His stock crashed and he fell to more of a special teams role, losing his spot to Eberflus’ handpicked guys like Jack Sanborn and Kenneth Murray. At the end of 2025, even when the team had nothing to play for, Liufau only got five total defensive snaps in the last two games.
With Eberflus’ dismissal and Christian Parker’s arrival, and with him a move to a 3-4 scheme, it was announced back in February that Liufau would move to outside linebacker. After playing MIKE and other off-ball spots for his entire career so far, including college, it puts a tremendous challenge in front of Liufau to remain relevant, and show value, while learning an entirely new position.
Contract Status
Years Left: 2
2026 Cap Hit: $1.55 million
The Cowboys would love to find continued use out of Liufau because he remains cheap labor for two more years on the remainder of his rookie deal. There’s only about $480k in dead money left on the deal, so not a huge loss if this OLB transition doesn’t work out. The real loss is a wasted third-round pick.
2026 Projections
Role: Backup OLB
Roster Chance: 20%
Even if this experiment goes wonderfully, Liufau would still have a hard time making the roster. The Cowboys are suddenly flush with pass rushers: Rashan Gary, Malachi Lawrence, Donovan Ezeieruaku, and James Houston comprise a solid foursome to lead the pack. For the last one or two spots, presumably, you have experienced edge players like Sam Williams, Tyrus Wheat, Isaiah Land, and newly-signed Charles Snowdown vying for jobs. Throw in the positional versatility of rookies Jaishawn Barham and L.T. Overton, and that feels like way too many guys for Liufau to get through.
And again, that’s if the transition goes well. Liufau is going to have to make significant changes to his body and his playing style. While being an athletic, downhill ILB can make for effective blitzing, the strength and technique needed to be a true edge is a whole different ballgame. Liufau wasn’t known for shedding blocks or even being a great one-on-one tackler, so the idea of him getting the better of professional offensive tackles or even strong pass-blocking TEs feels like a lot to ask.
It’s worth noting that a standout aspect of Liufau’s game, his special teams work, does have increased value near the bottom of the roster. And if there’s still any shred of hope for him as an inside linebacker, versatility could work in his favor as well. The move to OLB may be his focus this offseason, but we’ll see in camp if that’s truly the only position he sees time at.
Of course, so much of what we’re assuming will be proven this summer in Oxnard and in preseason action. At the very least, Liufau is getting a chance to come back and save his Cowboys career. But all things considered, the deck feels heavily stacked against him.
Check out our previous player profiles from this series:
RB Israel Abanikanda | S Justin Barron | G T.J. Bass | C Cooper Beebe | G Tyler Booker | S Alijah Clark | RB Malik Davis | DT Tommy Dunn | CB Cobie Durant | OLB Donovan Ezeiruaku | TE Princeton Fant | TE Jake Ferguson | WR Ryan Flournoy | C Matt Hennessy | S Malik Hooker | OLB James Houston | WR Jordan Hudson | LB Shemar James | G Trevor Keegan | CB Derion Kendrick | OLB Isaiah Land | S P.J. Locke | FB Hunter Luepke | RB Phil Mafah | QB Joe Milton III | WR Jonathan Mingo | CB Devin Moore | LB DeMarvion Overshown | TE DJ Rogers | TE Luke Schoonmaker | LS Trent Sieg | WR Anthony Smith | OT Terence Steele | CB Reddy Steward | OT Nate Thomas | S Jalen Thompson | DT Jay Toia | WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling | OLB Tyrus Wheat | RB Javonte Williams | OLB Sam Williams | DT D.J. Withers | S Julius Wood
