Christian Parker has been hard at work since taking over as the Cowboys defensive coordinator, finalizing his staff just earlier this week. Now, he’s moving onto the next stage: reshaping the defensive roster. Thursday brought a report that Dallas is expected to pursue Eagles free agent linebacker Nakobe Dean, but head coach Brian Schottenheimer also confirmed position changes for both Marist Liufau and Donovan Ezeiruaku.
The move is hardly surprising for Ezeiruaku, as the outside linebackers in a 3-4 defense are typically going to be more oriented towards edge rushing. For example, last year the Eagles listed Jaelan Phillips, Nolan Smith, and Jalyx Hunt as outside linebackers even though they did effectively the same thing that Cowboys defensive ends Jadeveon Clowney, James Houston, and Ezeiruaku himself did in 2025.
The surprising move, though, was for Liufau.
The former Notre Dame linebacker wasn’t exactly known for his pass rushing skills coming out of college. He had 40 total pressures and eight sacks during his entire college career; there were 49 EDGEs with more pressures last year, and 39 had 8+ sacks.
Liufau was more known for his run defense at Notre Dame, specifically his hard-hitting play style. Dane Brugler of The Athletic had this to say at the time:
After a broken ankle sidelined him for the 2021 season, he ripped off 25 straight starts to finish his Irish career and was often the most energetic player on the field. With his closing burst and physicality, Liufau plays through contact well and punches above his weight class when working downhill. His explosive energy helps him cover a lot of ground in a hurry, although he needs to play with better anticipation and control to be a playmaker in coverage and as a tackler.
Overall, Liufau has intriguing traits with his length, burst and violence, but he must improve his play instincts to balance out his relentless play style. He should shine as a “core four” special teamer in the NFL while he gets coached up for a chance at meaningful defensive snaps (similar to the Las Vegas Raiders’ Divine Deablo).
Much of Brugler’s analysis ahead of the draft seemed to describe a traditional off-ball linebacker, and Liufau has filled that role in his limited defensive snaps, though he’s mostly seen the field on special teams in his young professional career.
When highlighting the position changes, Schottenheimer did mention Liufau’s length and strength as reasons for feeling optimistic about the move. He also went on to describe the specific objectives they’re looking for in their outside linebackers:
The first thing that they’re gonna do is number one, set the edge of the running game. Number two, they’re gonna affect the damn quarterback. And then occasionally, they’ll drop [in coverage]
That comment is fairly revealing, especially with regard to Liufau. It also makes sense given the hiring of Chidera Uzo-Diribe to coach outside linebackers. At the time of his hiring, AJ Schulte of A to Z Sports specifically noted that Georgia’s approach to their outside linebackers put similar emphasis on setting the edge before pinning their ears back to rush the passer.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, as well as many other Nick Saban disciples, have adopted similar principles for rushing the passer as a direct response to the rise of dual-threat quarterbacks in college football. As that same trend has trickled up into the NFL, it makes sense that the Cowboys would seek to replicate it.
Notably, pass game coordinator Derrick Ansley spent considerable time coaching under Saban and other disciples, providing even more connective tissue to the philosophies of that particular coaching lineage.
Understanding these links also makes it easier to digest the move for Liufau. With his size and physicality, Liufau’s best trait in college was his ability to stop the run. Transferring that to outside linebacker in a scheme where his top priority is setting the edge seems to make sense.
Liufau also seems on board, aiming to get a bit bigger too.
All in all, this move feels very similar to what Liufau’s role was once projected to be when the Cowboys were strongly considering Jim Leonhard for the defensive coordinator role; coincidentally, the Cowboys just hired a pass rush specialist who worked with Leonhard the last two years in Denver.
An overhang defender that helps set the edge with enough experience to drop in coverage is a small, yet crucial, role in this new scheme. Liufau could definitely fit that bill and, in the process, help turn this defense around.
