PFF spotlights 2 Cowboys position battles among NFL's most intriguing this preseason

USA Today

4 hours ago

Competition has been the big watchword of the Cowboys' offseason program thus far. The locker room ping pong matches and the regular free throw contests have served as a fun storyline for Brian Schottenheimer's first round of OTA sessions and minicamp, but it's all just a prelude to the real battles that will take place on the practice fields of Oxnard next month.
And while every player will be working to cement his spot, either in the starting lineup or just on the 53-man roster, some of the individual competitions at certain positions will no doubt be spicier than others.
Pro Football Focus has identified 10 position battles to watch across the league this preseason, and the Cowboys figure prominently on the list, with two of the competitions expected to get most heated.
Running back
Following an offseason that completely blew up the Cowboys' already-faltering ground game, the outlet unsurprisingly spotlights Javonte Williams versus Miles Sanders as the NFL's most noteworthy running back battle of the summer.
Signed by Dallas on the same day this March, both ballcarriers bring veteran experience to a room that will also include rookie draft picks Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah, as well as Deuce Vaughn. It's hard to imagine all five making the 53-man roster, so there will be lots of eyes watching every rep in Oxnard, with many believing either Williams or Sanders will end up being cut for cap space.
But which one? PFF notes that while both "have faced challenges in recent years, each offers upside." (In perhaps an indication of who they think is the lesser threat to stick around, though, PFF's article- as originally posted- mistakenly refers to Williams as [Rico] Dowdle, confusing him with last year's 1,000-yard rusher, now toting the rock in Carolina.)
"Sanders earned an 84.8 rushing grade on gap runs last season (albeit in a limited sample)," writes Mason Cameron, while Williams "ranks in the 77th percentile in yards per route run over the past two seasons."
The pure stats would seem to favor Sanders, but he is three full years older and is coming off career lows in carries, yards, and yards per carry for the Panthers. He had a 1,000-yard campaign in 2022, and while it earned him his only Pro Bowl nod, it currently is the anomaly on his resume.
Williams, while younger, suffered a major knee injury in 2022, costing him the final 13 games of that season. Once he returned, there were rumblings that he simply hadn't regained his All-Rookie form, and he was let go by Denver after being the 35th overall draft pick in 2021.
It may come down to which veteran performs better in camp and the preseason, and which one's skill set is a better fit for what Schottenheimer wants to do offensively in 2025.
Defensive end
This one is a five-way battle royale for the spot opposite Micah Parsons on the Dallas D-line. Sam Williams is returning from last summer's ACL tear, and 2024 second-round pick Marshawn Kneeland looks to build on a sometimes shaky rookie season.
The Cowboys added Payton Turner in March and brought back Dante Fowler, Jr. a few days later. "While Fowler and Turner bring veteran experience," notes Cameron, "neither has lived up to their first-round pedigrees."
The real wild card here may be Donovan Ezeiruaku, the Cowboys' second-round pick this year. The Boston College standout is "widely regarded as one of the top value picks in the draft" and "could make the biggest impact in this wide-open competition."
Only one of that featured quintet will win a "starting" job, but there could be opportunities for at least most of the others in what has become a deep positional rotation in Dallas. The club saw heavy turnover at the DE spot last year, with injuries to the now-departed DeMarcus Lawrence, Williams, and Kneeland thinning the herd significantly and leaving heavy gameday reps for the likes of Carl Lawson, Tyrus Wheat, and Chauncey Golston. Wheat remains with the team in 2025, as does Earnest Brown IV.
The battles at these two positions will be among the most closely watched once the pads go on in California.
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