{"id":1858,"date":"2026-05-26T15:59:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T14:59:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=1858"},"modified":"2026-05-26T15:59:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T14:59:27","slug":"%f0%9f%92%94-brutal-reality-in-dallas-once-a-14-game-starter-hes-been-demoted-to-last-ditch-edge-rusher-after-surviving-4-defensive-coordinators-in-4-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=1858","title":{"rendered":"\u201c\ud83d\udc94 BRUTAL REALITY IN DALLAS: Once a 14-Game Starter, He\u2019s Been Demoted to \u2018Last Ditch\u2019 Edge Rusher After Surviving 4 Defensive Coordinators in 4 Years \u2014 His Cowboys Career Now Hangs by a Thread\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

The\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u00a0see the talent in\u00a0Marist Liufau; it\u2019s just that until now, they haven\u2019t really had the infrastructure to develop talent on any level of their defense. Not just Liufau, a 2024 3rd round pick, but anyone.<\/p>\n

All that might change in 2026 with a\u00a0new defensive coordinator in Christian Parker, but it\u2019s going to be on Liufau to deliver the goods after a position switch from off-ball linebacker to edge rusher.<\/p>\n

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SB Nation\u2019s LP Cruz\u00a0singled Liufau out as facing a \u201cmake or break\u201d year in 2026 if he wants to stay on the roster.<\/p>\n

Over the last 2 seasons, Liufau has started 14 games at off-ball linebacker \u2014 1 of their most pilloried position groups.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarist Liufau is probably under the most overt pressure out of any on this list, while at the same time put in somewhat unfair circumstances,\u201d Cruz wrote on May 25. \u201cConsider all that has happened around him since joining the team. The team has had four different defensive coordinators in each of his four years with the team. That\u2019s a lot to take on while also adjusting to life at the\u00a0NFL\u00a0level. Due to the revolving door of leadership he has endured, he has never experienced enough of an opportunity to see the field and make his mistakes to learn from.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2018Last Ditch\u2019 Diss Not Fair to Marist Liufau<\/h2>\n

Cowboys Wire\u00a0called moving the 6-foot-2, 238-pound Liufau to edge rusher in Parker\u2019s 3-4 defensive scheme a \u201cLast Ditch\u201d effort to find a role for him, which doesn\u2019t seem entirely fair.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re not the only ones who think that way, however.<\/p>\n

\u201cNudging Liufau to the outside now seems to set up the team to nudge Liufau out altogether in the near future,\u201d\u00a0Heavy\u2019s Sean Deveney wrote on May 12.<\/p>\n

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\"Cowboys
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The better argument might be that any defensive player drafted by the Cowboys in the last 2 years \u2014 ever since defensive coordinator Dan Quinn left to become head coach of the\u00a0Washington Commanders\u00a0\u2014 hasn\u2019t really gotten a fair shake in terms of development.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs an outside linebacker, Liufau\u2019s pass rushing, coverage and run fits should be somewhat simplified,\u201d Cowboys Wire\u2019s Reid D. Hanson wrote. \u201cIt\u2019s possible his reactionary instincts can thrive in the new role, but the transition is still significant and third-year position moves are rarely a great endorsement. With a new coaching staff in Dallas, Liufau is without the advocates that first brought him to the Cowboys. His play will have to stand on its own merit, and up until now, his play has been very disappointing.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

Where Cowboys Stand at Edge Rusher<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s safe to say the Cowboys haven\u2019t had any sort of identity at edge rusher since trading future Pro Football Hall of Famer\u00a0Micah Parsons\u00a0to the\u00a0Green Bay Packers\u00a0before the 2025 season.<\/p>\n

Headed into 2026, the writing is on the wall that they are trying to change that in some pretty significant ways.<\/p>\n

First, the Cowboys traded with the Packers, again, but this time for edge rusher and former 1st round pick\u00a0Rashan Gary.<\/p>\n

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Next, the Cowboys went heavy on defense and edge rusher in the 2026 NFL draft, using both of their 1st-round picks on defensive players with safety\u00a0Caleb Downs\u00a0at No. 11 overall and edge rusher\u00a0Malachi Lawrence\u00a0at No. 23 overall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u00a0see the talent in\u00a0Marist Liufau; it\u2019s just that until now, they haven\u2019t really had the infrastructure to develop talent on any level of their defense. Not… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1859,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n\u201c\ud83d\udc94 BRUTAL REALITY IN DALLAS: Once a 14-Game Starter, He\u2019s Been Demoted to \u2018Last Ditch\u2019 Edge Rusher After Surviving 4 Defensive Coordinators in 4 Years \u2014 His Cowboys Career Now Hangs by a Thread\u201d - Sports USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=1858\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201c\ud83d\udc94 BRUTAL REALITY IN DALLAS: Once a 14-Game Starter, He\u2019s Been Demoted to \u2018Last Ditch\u2019 Edge Rusher After Surviving 4 Defensive Coordinators in 4 Years \u2014 His Cowboys Career Now Hangs by a Thread\u201d - Sports USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u00a0see the talent in\u00a0Marist Liufau; it\u2019s just that until now, they haven\u2019t really had the infrastructure to develop talent on any level of their defense. 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