FRISCO, Texas — Donovan Ezeiruaku said Wednesday that he is healthy entering his second season with the Dallas Cowboys, and that the hip he had surgically repaired in the offseason was never going to be a reason for anything.
Ezeiruaku had never been through a rehab process before this year.
“Yeah, it feels very good to be healthy. I mean, it wasn’t really an excuse for me last year, and I’m not the type to make excuses or anything like that,” Ezeiruaku said. “But I will say, it’s very refreshing. I had a really good rehab process and I had a very good camp in my opinion. So it does feel good to be out there healthy.”
Ezeiruaku had labrum surgery on his hip in late January. The Dallas Morning News reported the procedure on March 2, and Todd Archer of ESPN reported that day that he was five weeks removed from it and would not be a full participant in the offseason program.
He missed the spring work and returned for the start of training camp in late July.
What Donovan Ezeiruaku Produced As A Rookie
Ezeiruaku played all 17 games with 9 starts. 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.
His 569 snaps were the most of any edge defender returning to the Cowboys roster. His defensive snap share cleared 50% in 12 of the final 13 games, and the exception was Week 18 at the New York Giants.
Around him, Dallas allowed 511 points, the most in the league. The Cowboys recorded 34 sacks as a team.
Surgery was new ground for him.
“Yeah, it’s definitely tough, especially because I’ve never been injured before. I’ve never had to have surgery before,” Ezeiruaku explained. “So just going through that whole process, it was tough, but my mind is in the right space and it was in the right space. So I just attacked every day and got better.”
Donovan Ezeiruaku’s New Position In Christian Parker’s Defense
Dallas took Ezeiruaku 44th overall in the second round of the 2025 draft.
Four seasons at Boston College produced 43 games, 196 tackles, 40.5 tackles for loss, 28 sacks, and 6 forced fumbles. His senior year alone accounted for 80 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, and 16.5 sacks. That sack total led Division I. It also tied the Boston College single-season record.
He was a consensus first-team All-American that season and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, and he won the Hendricks Award.
Brian Schottenheimer said at the combine in March that Ezeiruaku would move to outside linebacker in Christian Parker’s 3-4 front. He is expected to start opposite Rashan Gary.
Dallas traded for Gary, signed Von Miller, and drafted Malachi Lawrence in the first round this offseason.
Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. CT Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on NBC.
