The Dallas Cowboys earned their first win of the 2025 season on Sunday, and then immediately went to work addressing a weakness on the roster. After giving up a career day to Russell Wilson and allowing 500 yards in a game for the first time since 2022, the Cowboys made an addition at defensive end with veteran Jadeveon Clowney.
The Cowboys will be Clowney’s seventh team as the number one overall pick in 2014. He also becomes the sixth former first-round pick to join Matt Eberflus’ defense between
this offseason to now, alongside Kaiir Elam, Solomon Thomas, Kenneth Murray, Dante Fowler Jr., and Payton Turner (currently on injured reserve).
With all of this pedigree throughout their new faces in the lineup, one of the most noticeable things for the Cowboys defense still being talked about is the absence of one of their own former first-round pick, Micah Parsons. The void Parsons left behind in the Cowboys’ ability to rush the passer has led to opponents scoring points on over half of their drives this year, and most recently 37 points allowed to the Giants for the first time since 2011. The results have not been exclusively bad for the Cowboys nearly all-zone defense, but through two games they’ve played like more of a unit looking to barely hold on with an offense that puts up a lot of points, as opposed to one that can stand up on their own and carry the weight of winning games.
The team made a pointed effort to be better on the interior this season, particularly against the run, and have achieved that with Solomon Thomas and Kenny Clark leading the charge at defensive tackle. The missing piece is not far from these two new players at tackle, a defensive end that can take advantage of one-on-one matchups and win on the edge.
The Cowboys defense has used more static fronts under Eberflus compared to the more disguised fronts seen under Dan Quinn or Mike Zimmer, and it may be another factor hurting their pass rush. Players like Sam Williams, Dante Fowler, and Marshawn Kneeland are all capable of rushing from upright stances and moving around the line of scrimmage to get better matchups against guards or centers. This defense has not used their rushers in this way, and is primarily playing coverage linebackers Kenneth Murray and Jack Sanborn on the second level. It’s likely going to take a player that can win with his hand on the ground more for the Cowboys to start getting a consistent pass rush; the hope is that Clowney can be that addition.
Clowney should fit in just fine with the Cowboys size and gap responsibilities up front to set a hard edge against the run. The Cowboys being able to create more negative plays on early down runs would go a very long way in creating pass rush opportunities, and even more blitzes like seen against the Eagles. For Eberflus to consistently trust these blitz calls, the Cowboys front must do their job of occupying blocks and helping rushers get home, with Clowney as another piece to that puzzle. He also had five passes defended in 2023 and four last season, seeing an increase in this stat as the savvy vet learns to still make a play without getting to the quarterback. Clowney has 15 sacks and 18 tackles for loss over his last two seasons.
The 32-year old Clowney came into the league in 2014 with the highest of expectations to make splash plays, heightened by one viral clip against Michigan from his time at South Carolina.
While that player never quite manifested at the next level, Clowney has been a professional on multiple teams with a knack for clutch plays. He’s been on three separate playoff teams, most recently the Baltimore Ravens in 2023.
The Cowboys win against the Giants may have pointed to issues on defense, but the fact they prevailed in overtime was also a nod to the strong team culture Brian Schottenheimer is building. Clowney should be a natural fit into this culture, ready to help bring along young players still learning a new scheme. Dallas will travel to Chicago to play Eberflus’ old team in week three, another desperate opponent that is coming off a loss similar to the Giants.
Clowney played against the Bears as a member of the Panthers last season, and had three tackles in a Carolina loss. The Cowboys also saw him in week 15, when Cooper Rush beat the Panthers on the road, and Clowney also had three tackles plus two passes defended.
