3 Cowboys who need more playing time in Week 7 vs Commanders

The Dallas Cowboys are coming off a frustrating Week 6 loss, but they’re not out of the NFC East race.

As frustrating as their 2-3-1 start has been, they’re right behind the 3-3 Washington Commanders and not too far behind the 4-2 Philadelphia Eagles. This weekend, they can gain ground and secure a divisional win as they host the Commanders.

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In order to secure that win, however, the Cowboys would be wise to give these three players more snaps in Week 7.

Marist Liufau, LB

Dallas Cowboys LB Marist Liufau looks on from the sidelines during the game between the Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Dallas finally started to play Shemar James with more frequency and they were rewarded with a great performance in Week 6. Now, they need to do the same with Marist Liufau and increase his workload.

The second-year linebacker was on the field for 40.3 percent of the snaps this past Sunday, which was the most this year. He responded with four tackles and a sack, but still needs more time.

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Not only is Liufau an impact player, but the Cowboys have to get Kenneth Murray out of the lineup. His performance has been tough to watch and Dallas needs more speed in the middle of the defense.

Brevyn Spann-Ford, TE

Jake Ferguson is having a career year, but he’s still not the highest-graded tight end on the roster. That distinction belongs to second-year pro Brevyn Spann-Ford who has earned an overall grade of 87.4. He’s been especially strong in blocking, but has shown talent as a receiver when given the opportunity, including ripping off a 38-yard catch and run against Chicago, which was nullified by a penalty.

Despite his efforts, Spann-Ford has had 20 or fewer snaps in every game and just 10 against Carolina. That should change this weekend.

James Houston, EDGE

Dallas Cowboys defensive end James Houston reacts after a sack against the New York Jets. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

At this point, it feels negligent that Matt Eberflus isn’t playing James Houston more often. He leads the team with 3.5 sacks but has played in just 24.2 percent of the defensive snaps.

This past weekend was the most confusing. Houston was on the field for 14 snaps, yet still recorded five tackles. The Cowboys might try and defend his snap total by saying his run defense isn’t up to par, but that doesn’t hold water after what Rico Dowdle did to their run defense while Houston was primarily sidelined.

Heading into Week 7, they have to put their most impactful defender on the field.