The Dallas Cowboys should be unloading as many resources as possible into their defense this offseason.
The Cowboys' unit was awful in 2025 and the biggest reason why Dallas fell short of the playoffs. The showing also cost Matt Eberflus his job, and rightly so, as his coaching was part of the problem.
One position group that needs to be addressed is edge rusher, and the Cowboys should be making one significant move and one smaller move, at least.
One player who would amount to the latter type of a move is Buffalo Bills pending free agent edge rusher A.J. Epenesa.
FanSided's Chris Landers predicts the Bills will let Epenesa walk in free agency, and he will then go on to sign with the Cowboys on a deal that Spotrac believes would pay him $18 million over two seasons.
"This just feels like a Jerry Jones move, doesn't it? Epenesa still has plenty of tools, and on the right day he'll look like a complete player," Landers stated. "Dallas is desperate to find something on the edge, and they could take the bet given how relatively little it should cost to sign the Iowa product compared to some other options in free agency."
A former second-round pick, Epenesa has had his moments with the Bills but has no doubt been a disappointment overall.
He has tallied 24 sacks through 91 games, including three seasons with six or more. By the way, that "or more" is 6.5 sacks in 2022 and 2023.
But Epenesa had one of his least productive seasons in 2025, posting just 2.5 sacks, all of which came in the second half of the season. Because of that, we believe he'll fall short of Spotrac's projection and will likely only land a one-year deal.
With the Bills needing at least one upgrade at the position, we could definitely see Buffalo cutting ties with Epenesa, who has had six seasons to prove he is better than the average-at-best edge rusher he has shown he is.
Adding Epenesa makes sense for the Cowboys, but only as a secondary or tertiary move. If Jerry Jones makes a splash signing or trade for a top-notch edge rusher and adds Epenesa on top, we can get behind that approach.
If Epenesa is surrounded with the kind of talent the Cowboys could have upfront in 2026 if they make a significant addition opposite him, we could see Epenesa having his best season as a pro in Dallas.
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