The Dallas Cowboys found the right pieces for the 2025 puzzle

Jalen Tolbert is the player that will benefit the most by the addition of George Pickens.

Dak already trusts him. And he should be able to play in the middle of the field even more. https://t.co/mE1ctgoHD9

— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) June 18, 2025

The goal of every NFL offseason is to get better and turn weaknesses into strengths; to build depth and find the right pieces.

For the Dallas Cowboys, this was a successful offseason in getting the right players to fit where the roster needed help. The organization found the pieces to fit into their puzzle, while also building their depth, something they haven’t always done well.

Coming into the offseason, there were major needs on both sides of the ball. On offense, the Cowboys didn’t have a strong running back group, a valid No. 2 wide receiver, nor depth on the offensive line. With the retirement of perennial All-Pro Zack Martin, there were also big shoes to fill, and the team needed a quality addition.

Consider all those boxes checked.

While the Cowboys don’t have the best RB room in the league, they do have more options in 2025 than they did last year, and more versatility. Veterans Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders can play the role of Rico Dowdle, who had a great season as the lead RB. However, there wasn’t much else in backfield, no valid receiving RB, and the position lacked speed.

Williams hasn’t rushed for 1,000 yards like Dowdle, but he did have 903 yards as a rookie in a split backfield, and Sanders surpassed 1,000 yards a few seasons ago with the Philadelphia Eagles. What Williams does better than Dowdle, however, is catch the ball. In each his three full seasons, the veteran has surpassed Dowdle’s career high 39 receptions last season. Williams is a dual-threat RB who can run and catch the ball with efficiency, while Sanders can pitch in as well.

The Cowboys addressed the depth and speed issue by drafting Jaydon Blue in the fifth round. Blue is also expected to be used heavily out of the backfield as a receiver to boost the production from the position, something new head coach Brian Schottenheimer prefers.

Individually, Williams, Sanders or Blue wouldn’t be enough to have a strong rushing attack. But combined, Williams and Sanders can earn the Dowdle role while Blue slots in as the speedy, big-play RB that doesn’t need a ton of touches to produce. It might not be the best RB group in the league, but it’s better than Dowdle as a lead RB, with a fading veteran like Ezekiel Elliott behind him.

On the offensive line, the Cowboys drafted Tyler Booker with the 12th pick overall and he takes over for Martin at right guard. The team did sign a few veteran options for the interior of their offensive line in the offseason, including Robert Jones and Saahdiq Charles, while also re-signing Brock Hoffman to cover themselves before the draft.

All of those options are great as backups, which is exactly where Booker allows them to be now. Charles, Hoffman and Jones all have adequate starting experience, but they don’t have the potential that Booker does. The Alabama product takes over for Martin at RG, while the veteran options are valuable backup options and can play well if needed. The Cowboys would be OK if Charles, Hoffman or Jones were the starters, but they’re in a much better place with Booker.

One of the best moves the Cowboys made, though, was trading for WR George Pickens. The Cowboys didn’t have a legitimate No. 2 WR until Pickens arrived and it allows the team to slot the other WRs in perfectly.

Jalen Tolbert made strides to be a better WR in his third season, but he couldn’t have been the second WR for a thriving passing game. Tolbert is a perfect third WR who doesn’t need the ball focused in his direction to work within the offense. He works himself open, and makes plays when asked.

Tolbert isn’t the deep ball threat or as skilled as Pickens, which is why he’s a great WR3, which makes Jonathan Mingo a perfect fourth receiving option. The Cowboys like his game and if Mingo plays to his second-round pedigree, he’ll have a bigger role in the offense. There’s some upside to the third-year WR, and if he plays better than he did with the Carolina Panthers in his first full season with the Cowboys, he might be the best No. 4 WR in the league.

The pecking order then leaves plenty of opportunities for KaVontae Turpin to be used anywhere on offense. That’s his best role, being given a handful of opportunities a game to make plays on offense, instead of being counted on be too big a part of the passing game.

Pickens’ addition allows all the WRs in Dallas to be slotted perfectly.

On defense, the Cowboys found the right help as well. Drafting pass rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku in Round 2 allows last year’s second-round pick, Marshwan Kneeland to be more of a two-down player. Kneeland excels at stopping the run and could use work honing his pass rushing skills, something that Ezeiruaku doesn’t lack.

Veterans Dante Fowler and Sam Williams would also be competing with Kneeland for a starting defensive end gig opposite Micah Parsons, but that could take them away from what they were brought to the Cowboys to do. Fowler is a designated edge rusher whose main job is to attack the quarterback, something he couldn’t do as well if he needed to play more snaps on early downs.

Williams is coming off a torn ACL and isn’t likely to be the same player in his first season back. The fourth-year pass rusher might be ready to return, but counting on him to play a big role would have been a stretch.

Drafting Ezeiruaku allows the Cowboys the flexibility to rotate more bodies at DE, while also keeping their hired sack masters in that role. Kneeland, Fowler, Williams and Ezeiruaku is a solid rotational group to pair with Parsons. Another veteran, Payton Turner, is in the fold as well to give DE depth.

Drafting Ezeiruaku gives everyone the right fit for Matt Eberflus’ defense.

The Cowboys needed help in the middle of the defensive line as well, and while they didn’t add enough bodies, they did get two solid pieces. Solomon Thomas is a veteran the group needed, and while he hasn’t played to his draft status, he does have valuable experience. Thomas is a solid addition that brings depth to a place where the Cowboys were short on talent.

Drafting Jay Toia also provides a big boost in the middle. The Cowboys need run stuffers, and Toia is a perfect fit. If Mazi Smith doesn’t get better in Year 3, Toia looks like a good option to move in and take snaps off Smith’s plate.

Osa Odighizuwa is the other starter on the inside at DT, and the two new additions give the Cowboys depth and options. That’s not something the defense has had in recent years. Thomas and Toia are two alternatives to give snaps to if Smith isn’t getting the job done, and to give Odighizuwa a rest.

The Cowboys could use more help on the defensive line, but the pieces they did add fit well.

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