FRISCO, Texas — Donovan Ezeiruaku said Wednesday that the Dallas Cowboys edge group does not get to rush the passer Sunday until it handles the New York Giants’ run game.
Ezeiruaku has not set individual sack or pressure targets for himself this season.
“I mean, good for him. Our job, first thing we want to do, we want to stop the run because we understand, especially on the edge, there’s no pass rush if we don’t stop the run. So that’s kind of our focus,” Ezeiruaku said. “We understand who their head coach is and what they did over there at Baltimore for all these years. So we know it’s going to be a little hard-nosed. It’s going to be a defensive battle early. We’ve got to do our job and stop the run so that we can go have fun and pass rush.”
Cam Skattebo sits atop the Giants depth chart. He carried 101 times for 410 yards and 5 touchdowns in 8 games as a rookie, and added 24 receptions for 207 yards and 2 more scores, before a dislocated right ankle against Philadelphia on Oct. 26 ended his season. He had surgery the next day and returned without restrictions for training camp.
John Harbaugh spent 18 seasons in Baltimore before New York hired him in January. He brought in Matt Nagy as offensive coordinator and added Greg Roman to the staff, and the Giants have moved toward a gap-based run scheme.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart started 12 games as a rookie and carried 86 times for 487 yards and 9 touchdowns.
Donovan Ezeiruaku On The Cowboys’ New Defensive Staff
Dallas allowed 2,133 rushing yards in 2025, 23rd in the league, and gave up 24 rushing touchdowns, 31st. Opponents averaged 4.7 yards a carry and converted 47.3% of third downs, the worst rate in the NFL. The Cowboys allowed 511 points, also the most in the league.
Christian Parker took over as defensive coordinator this offseason and moved the front to a 3-4.
“I’m very excited. We’ve been trusting the process with the new staff, new defensive staff that we got. It’s been going really, really well. Honestly, I feel confident. And they also bring the confidence as well,” Ezeiruaku explained. “I don’t really have set numbers on what I can do. I just want to do what I need to do to help this team win ballgames.”
Dallas traded for Rashan Gary, signed Von Miller, and drafted Malachi Lawrence in the first round. Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark, both voted defensive captains on Sept. 3, start inside.
What Donovan Ezeiruaku Did As A Rookie
Ezeiruaku played all 17 games with 9 starts and logged 569 snaps, the most of any edge defender returning to the roster. He finished with 40 tackles, 20 of them solo, along with 9 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 12 quarterback hits, a forced fumble, and a safety.
Dallas took him in the second round in 2025 out of Boston College, where he led Division I with 16.5 sacks as a senior. He is expected to start opposite Gary.
The Cowboys recorded 34 sacks as a team last season and intercepted 6 passes.
Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. CT Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on NBC.
