The Dallas Cowboys star outside linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku showcased his talent in his rookie season. However, there was one stat he believes he can improve as he enters the 2026 season.

Ezeiruaku, who joined the Cowboys after being picked as No. 44 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, has shown his abilities as a linebacker and is determined to improve his sack stats.

"They don't draft edge rushers to not get any sacks," Ezeiruaku said, per the Dallas Morning News staff writer Joseph Hoyt. "Especially for me, the way I take pride in what I do and what I want to do to help this football team."

Ezeiruaku earned a PFF defensive grade of 73.1 overall and ranked 38th among 115 qualified edge defenders.

He logged 40 combined tackles, along with 14 quarterback hurries, 12 hits, and two sacks. He also had 604 snaps last year and ranked third in the stat, behind DaRon Bland (701 snaps) and Kenny Clark (627).

"Ezeiruaku is confident that he experienced an NFL learning curve and can apply it. He's also had some extra teachers. He worked with pass rush consultant B.T. Jordan last off-season, just as he did this off-season. That work has increased since Jordan came to the Cowboys from the Denver Broncos as a consultant," the Dallas Morning News staff writer Joseph Hoyt wrote.

But Ezeiruaku was disappointed with his sack stat. This is also because, during his senior season with the Boston College Eagles, he recorded 16.5 sacks, led the Atlantic Coast Conference, and was also named the 2024 ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

Furthermore, he also led the ACC in tackles for loss, with 20.5. Having such an astounding record in college football for defense, Ezeiruaku wants to do even better next season.

Donovan Ezeiruaku talks about his fitness and the team's ambitions

Earlier, Ezeiruaku spoke with the media at Cowboys Training Camp in Oxnard, discussing his fitness. He had hip labrum surgery in late January, treating a torn hip labrum that had been causing him problems throughout the 2025 season.

"Feel really good physically," Ezeiruaku told reporters during training camp. "I feel better than I did last year. I had a great rehab process, you know, working with the team, the sports med team, as well as outside guys. But I feel really good."

Not only that, but he also commented on what the team has planned and what their ambitions are as a whole. He further named some accolades that the team players want to achieve.

"We talked about it, about our goals and our expectations from each other, for each other," he said. "That's what we're here to do. We're here to compete and push each other so that we can be where we want to be. And that's All-Pro; that's Pro Bowl but at the same time helping the team."

While Ezeiruaku had a decent rookie season last year, he and the Cowboys have no plans to stop just now. Time will tell whether he can get more sacks this season and relive his college glory days in the NFL.

How many sacks do you think Donovan Ezeiruaku will log in 2026? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by

Dhruv Singh

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore