Williams played in 17 games during the 2025 regular season, totaling 37 tackles (including 1.0 sacks), two defensed passes, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Williams took on a larger role after missing all of 2024 while recovering from a torn ACL. He logged the first five starts of his career and totaled a career-high 469 defensive snaps, but while he also recorded a career-best 37 stops, he registered only 1.0 sacks after totaling 9.5 sacks across his first two seasons. Williams is slated to be an unrestricted free agent, and there's no guarantee the Cowboys will attempt to bring him back.

Ezeiruaku totaled 40 tackles, including 2.0 sacks, and forced a fumble over 17 games during the 2025 regular season.

Ezeiruaku was a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and filled a key role for Dallas' defense in his first pro campaign. The Boston College product logged a defensive snap count over 50 percent in 12 of the Cowboys' final 13 games, with the exception being Week 18 against the Giants. Ezeiruaku figures to take on a similarly significant role next season and will look to grow as a pass rusher after notching a modest 2.0 sacks as a rookie.

Odighizuwa tallied 44 tackles, including 3.5 sacks, over 17 contests during the 2025 regular season.

Odighizuwa continues to be a durable force for Dallas -- he's played in all 17 regular-season contests every year since 2022. The veteran defensive tackle has also been very consistent stats-wise, producing between 43 and 47 stops, including between 3.0 and 4.5 sacks, every season during that four-year span. Odighizuwa signed a four-year contract last March and should continue to be a key part of Dallas' defensive line next season.

The Cowboys are expected to place their franchise tag on Pickens during the offseason, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Pickens had a breakout year in his first campaign with Dallas, posting career bests of 93 catches, 137 targets, 1,429 receiving yards and nine receiving TDs while making his first Pro Bowl and earning second-team All-Pro recognition. While he's stated that he'd like to remain with the Cowboys, Pickens is slated to be an unrestricted free agent, so Dallas appears set to get a leg up on retaining the star wideout by applying the franchise tag to him. Schefter notes that the tag could simply "serve as a placeholder for the start of negotiations designed to keep [Pickens] in Dallas."

Steward finished the 2025 regular season with 63 tackles, including 1.5 sacks, three defensed passes and a forced fumble over 17 contests.

Steward played exclusively on special teams in Week 1 and Week 7, but he was otherwise pretty heavily involved on defense and logged a defensive snap count north of 50 percent in six of the Cowboys' final seven games. The undrafted Troy product played in just one contest with Chicago during his rookie 2024 campaign, but he appears to have carved out a role moving forward with Dallas, especially given that Trevon Diggs was let go in late December. Steward is slated to be an exclusive rights free agent, so the Cowboys are in control of whether he'll be back next season.

Williams had 53 tackles (26 solo), including 2.5 sacks, as well as one interception and three forced fumbles over 15 regular-season games between the Bengals and the Cowboys in 2025.

Williams was traded from the Jets to the Cowboys at the trade deadline. The defensive tackle managed to accumulate 1.5 of his 2.5 sacks and his interception in the seven games he was with the new team. The 28-year-old has one more year under contract, and he is set to spend the 2026 season alongside defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku and defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa.

Wilson had 70 tackles (34 solo) and five passes defensed in 14 regular-season games between the Bengals and the Cowboys in 2025.

Wilson was traded to the Cowboys at the trade deadline and played seven of nine potential games for the team, where he totaled 24 tackles (15 solo). The middle linebacker is under contract for one more year, and with the rest of the Cowboys' linebacker corps healthy going into 2026, Wilson may lose more snaps to Shemar James.

Farmer (hamstring) has been ruled out ahead of Super Bowl LX on Sunday.

Farmer was questionable to play after being a full participant in practice every day this week, but the team has decided not to activate the rookie from injured reserve. The defensive end's hamstring issue already cut into his opportunity for meaningful experience at the NFL level, and the lack of any postseason experience means the young player may not be ready to be thrown into the fire in the biggest game of the season. The Patriots will enter Sunday's showdown with the Seahawks with Christian Barmore, Milton Williams, Leonard Taylor and Cory Durden at defensive end.

Nnadi ended the 2025 season with 16 tackles, including 10 solo tackles, over 15 games.

Nnadi signed a one-year contract with the Jets, but he ended up being traded back to the Chiefs before the start of the regular season for a conditional 2027 draft-pick swap. Finding himself back in familiar circumstances, the defensive tackle was able to log five more tackles (seven more solo tackles) than in the 2024 regular season. The 29-year-old was able to prove he can still be an effective run defender at this stage of his career, and he will surely be an attractive target for any team looking for a cost-effective lineman familiar with 4-3 defenses.

Tillery finished the 2025 season with 20 tackles (eight solo), including 1.5 sacks, and added a fumble recovery over 17 games.

Tillery was a reliable depth defensive tackle, playing 17 percent to 52 percent of defensive snaps per game throughout the entire 2025 season. The 29-year-old has been a Charger, Raider, Viking, and Chief throughout his tenure in the NFL, and 2026 could mark a return to one of those franchises or a new destination entirely for the lineman heading into his ninth season.