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The Cowboys will look very different at LB compared to last season
For a team that started the offseason with roster needs up and down the depth chart, the Cowboys have been more than selectively aggressive in addressing them right from the start of free agency. After bringing in outside additions at running back, defensive end, defensive tackle, guard, and cornerback, on Wednesday the Cowboys used both free agency and the trade market to overhaul the linebacker position. The Cowboys signed former Bears linebacker Jack Sanborn to a one-year deal, and swapped late-round picks for former Titans linebacker Kenneth Murray.
Where the other moves the Cowboys have made so far are seemingly more for players that add depth in lock step with existing talent already on the roster, using both a signing and a trade to bring in two linebackers that could project as starters is a different approach, and very unlike how the Cowboys have typically acted in past offseasons. They have shown a preference to bringing in players their new coaches have some familiarity with already when Solomon Thomas reunited with defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton who was his coach with both the
49ers and Jets, and now former Cowboys coach Matt Eberflus was able to bring in one of his former players in Sanborn to pair with Murray.
When it came to pure linebackers on the depth chart prior to Sanborn and Murray joining America’s Team, the Cowboys were looking at just second-year player Marist Liufau, Buddy Johnson, Darius Harris, Brock Mogensen, Damone Clark, and the injured Demarvion Overshown who will likely miss significant time at the start of next season.
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The Cowboys approach at linebacker has changed a ton over just the last three seasons or so, going from Dan Quinn’s style of playing more hybrid defensive back-type players here, to Mike Zimmer piecing the position group together thanks to Liufau’s ability to step in and develop quickly as a third-round pick, and now they want to give their former linebackers coach Eberflus even more resources to make linebacker a strength.
When Eberflus returned to Dallas as defensive coordinator after spending last season as head coach of the
Chicago Bears up until Thanksgiving, it was a familiar name that reminded Cowboys fans of the great work he did with not only Sean Lee, but other linebackers further down the depth chart over his time here. The Cowboys have been criticized for overrating their own players in the roster-building process before, but in some cases there is simply no overrating that can be done. Lee was a great player when healthy for the Cowboys, and having the coach that helped him reach this status back in the building is seemingly all Dallas needed to want a makeover at linebacker in his first year back.
The highest drafted linebackers the Cowboys took during Eberflus’ first stint were Bruce Carter at 40th overall in 2011 and Jaylon Smith 34th overall in 2016. This is good news for the undrafted Jack Sanborn, who has already proven himself as a player signed in college free agency by Eberflus and the Bears in 2022. He has started 19 games in three seasons, amassing 4.5 sacks, 164 tackles, five passes defended, and a fumble recovery.
Eberflus’ history is also a positive when it comes to the new situation former first-round pick Kenneth Murray joins, the latest former first-round pick to be added at a position the Cowboys don’t often address in the first round themselves.
Sanborn is a traditional stand up linebacker with surprising speed and bend to evade offensive linemen. This is a player very comfortable around the line of scrimmage, but can also line up at depth and both play coverage or rush the quarterback, all things the Cowboys are looking to add in Eberflus’ zone scheme.
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The Cowboys will be looking to make their opponents take the long way downfield on offense and not aggressively get caught in blitz looks that leave themselves vulnerable to big plays. Adding Sanborn to the mix of players already with coverage instincts and range at the second level can go a long way here, but things like stopping the run and affecting the quarterback are still must-haves for any defense. More good news, Sanborn can help the Cowboys in both of these areas as well. This is an instinctual player that knows how to attack leverage when defeating blocks, has above average knockback strength, and very fluid change of direction ability. Listed at 6’2”, 234 pounds, Sanborn is the same listed height as DeMarvion Overshown, but plays a bit heavier. This noticeably helps Sanborn on film as a pass rusher, able to line up with his hand on the ground at select times and be effective against linemen or tight ends that have a hard time dealing with his mix of speed and strength.
The full scope of what Sanborn can do as a versatile player will be understood well by the Cowboys, who have not only Eberflus, but former Bears linebacker coach Dave Borgonzi on staff in the same position. Borgonzi was with the Bears under Eberflus the entire time Sanborn played for them, coming over from Eberflus’
Indianapolis Colts staff.
The Cowboys front office is doing a great job listening to the scouting knowledge their new-look coaching staff is bringing on players available in more than just the draft, upgrading all over the roster in ways that were completely unexpected. Sanborn became the latest example of this in a big way on Wednesday afternoon, but his moment as the latest addition to the Dallas defense was short-lived, as they soon after traded for Kenneth Murray.
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Murray is a Texas native that played college football for Oklahoma, and now returns home with the Cowboys being his third team since 2020. A former first-round pick of the
Chargers who spent four seasons there, Murray was a free agent signing for the
Tennessee Titans in 2024. Starting 14 games in the first year of his two-year deal, Murray now represents a first-round pick at linebacker for the Cowboys. Murray is coming off a career high 3.5 sacks with the Titans. He also set a new career high in tackles for loss last season, had an interception for the third straight season, and forced a fumble.
Also listed at 6’2”, but weighing in at 241 pounds, it is easy to see why Murray was such a highly-regarded prospect in a draft class that also featured Isaiah Simmons, Patrick Queen, Josh Uche, and Zack Baun. His 4.52 second 40-yard dash time at the combine put him in the 90th percentile for this speed at the position, and Murray did so while also being above the 50% mark for height, weight, and arm length. His vertical jump of 38 inches and broad jump of 129 inches also jump out to paint the picture of what type of athlete the Cowboys are getting on the second level of their defense. This is a player that can fly around similarly to Sanborn, but Murray does so with more violence in his game and a bigger hit stick when finishing on ball carriers. Murray is more aggressive shooting gaps as well as breaking down in space to make open field tackles. His own quickness can get the best of him at times when caught flat footed or at a poor angle against the run, but playing him at depth and allowing him to read the quarterback is where his best plays come from. The Cowboys have shown with all of their defensive moves at linebacker, cornerback, and safety so far that this trait is valued and that giving quarterbacks different looks post snap is a priority. There are a whole lot of ways Murray can help them achieve this as a linebacker and pass rusher.
Compared to last offseason where the Cowboys came out of free agency without a single position group shuffled around enough to truly look different, what the team pulled off at linebacker in one day’s work this week is impressive. Their best addition of a quiet free agent period was at linebacker a year ago too, reuniting Eric Kendricks with Zimmer. Now, the Cowboys are replicating this proven success story with Sanborn and Eberflus while also getting a blue-chip prospect in Murray.
Linebacker may not have been much of a consideration for the Cowboys at the 12th overall pick even before these moves, but the other additions Dallas has made is setting up a much clearer approach to their board from a best player overall point of view and not feel like they’re drafting for a pressing need. For a team with 10 picks still, and plenty of needs remaining, applying this philosophy to the later rounds (with four picks inside the top 150) will be just as important. This is where the Cowboys were much more likely to add at linebacker prior to Wednesday’s moves, and can still do so knowing they won’t be continuing to throw young players and rookies into the fire too soon by expecting too much early on.
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The Cowboys are looking to be a harder team to play against in 2025 compared to the injury-riddled final season of Mike McCarthy’s tenure in 2024. They have completely overhauled their coaching staff on both sides of the ball to do so. They have brought in new faces in the first wave of free agency, and now on the same day made multiple trades to do the same. The Cowboys front office is acting in a way that is unrecognizable for fans that were at the end of any patience allowed for those largely responsible for the team’s regression to 7-10, and their actions so far are looking to have similar effects on the field for a team that will certainly look a whole lot different at linebacker after Wednesday’s moves.
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