How the Dallas Cowboys’ defense has graded out in the first half of the season
The Dallas Cowboys are through their bye week and through the halfway point of the NFL regular season. They hold a 3-5-1 record and have a lot of questions to answer if they want to spark a run to the postseason.
With nine games under their belt, it’s a lot easier to look at their roster and understand who can provide a big impact, who has underwhelmed and who has a long way to go to reach expectations.
Let’s look at how each individual defensive player for the Cowboys has graded out on Pro Football Focus to see how they stack up with the rest of the league.
How the new additions fit in
The Cowboys made waves ahead of the trade deadline when they spent significant draft capital to acquire three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and linebacker Logan Wilson.
Each arrives in Dallas with some intriguing grades, as Williams ranks sixth out of 125 qualifying defensive tackles in the NFL with a 79.7 overall grade. His run defense grade of 90.8 is first among interior linemen across the NFL by over seven full points, with Rams defensive tackle Poona Ford’s 83.6 grade coming in second.
While Wilson’s overall grade of 54.8 leaves a lot to be desired, his pass rush grade of 87.2 was fourth among all NFL linebackers entering Week 10. It also ranks as a full 12 points ahead of any other Cowboys defender, with rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku coming in second in that category with a 75.7 pass rush grade.
Four defensive ends lead the way
Despite the defense having a massive amount of struggles through nine games, the defensive end group has begun to put together some solid performances. The pass rush ranks 10th in the NFL in quarterback pressure rate at 36.3%, according to NFL Pro, but ranks 21st in sacks with 20.
Veteran Dante Fowler Jr. leads the way in PFF grades with an 81.5 overall grade, followed by Ezeiruaku (79.6), Jadeveon Clowney (72.6) and the team’s sack-leader, James Houston (65.6).
The highest-graded qualifying defender on the Cowboys who doesn’t play on the defensive line is cornerback DaRon Bland (61.7 grade). He also trails defensive tackles Solomon Thomas (62.8) and Kenny Clark (62.2).
Optimism at safety
Although safety Malik Hooker is on injured reserve with a toe injury he suffered against the Green Bay Packers, he can still claim one of the league’s top grades in the run defense category.
Among all safeties, Hooker’s run defense grade of 81.7 is seventh among players in his position group across the NFL, although his overall grade of 60.0 is 55th in his position group.
While the run defense from Hooker is certainly a benefit to the Cowboys’ defense, it’s been his zone responsibilities in pass coverage that have drawn the most criticism. With his return expected on Monday night against the Las Vegas Raiders, it will be crucial for him to marry his run-stopping ability with the pass coverage ability to warrant future investment past this season.
Rest of the defense
Here are the midseason grades for all the defensive players on the active roster and how they stack up across the league:
Defensive Ends
- Dante Fowler Jr. - 81.5 (14th out of 114 NFL DEs)
- Donovan Ezeiruaku - 79.6 (20th out of 114 NFL DEs)
- Jadeveon Clowney - 72.6 (31st out of 114 NFL DEs)
- James Houston - 65.6 (65th out of 114 NFL DEs)
- Sam Williams - 40.1 (113th out of 114 NFL DEs)
Defensive Tackles
- Quinnen Williams - 79.7 (6th out of 125 NFL DTs)
- Solomon Thomas - 62.8 (50th out of 125 NFL DTs)
- Kenny Clark - 62.2 (54th out of 125 NFL DTs)
- Osa Odighizuwa - 60.4 (61st out of 125 NFL DTs)
- Jay Toia - 29.5 (doesn’t qualify for league rank)
Linebackers
- Jack Sanborn - 56.3 (56th out of 83 NFL LBs)
- Logan Wilson - 54.8 (59th out of 83 NFL LBs)
- Marist Liufau - 46.5 (doesn’t qualify for league rank)
- Damone Clark - 42.7 (doesn’t qualify for league rank)
- Kenneth Murray Jr. - 40.0 (78th out of 83 NFL LBs)
- Shemar James - 35.5 (82nd out of 83 NFL LBs)
Cornerbacks
- Caelen Carson - 63.4 (doesn’t qualify for league rank)
- DaRon Bland - 61.7 (45th out of 109 NFL CBs)
- Zion Childress - 61.4 (doesn’t qualify for league rank)
- Reddy Steward - 60.6 (47th out of 109 NFL CBs)
- Kaiir Elam - 59.6 (54th out of 109 NFL CBs)
- Trevon Diggs - 58.7 (60th out of 109 NFL CBs)*
- Trikweze Bridges - 36.4 (doesn’t qualify for league rank)
Safeties
- Malik Hooker - 60.0 (55th out of 91 NFL safeties)*
- Juanyeh Thomas - 60.0 (55th out of 91 NFL safeties)*
- Donovan Wilson - 47.8 (82nd out of 91 NFL safeties)
- Markquese Bell - 42.3 (88th out of 91 NFL safeties)
- Alijah Clark - 32.6 (doesn’t qualify for league rank)
*on injured reserve
This story was originally published November 11, 2025 at 4:59 PM.
