New drills at Cowboys practice suggest secondary shakeup incoming

On Thursday, the Dallas Cowboys were back on the practice field preparing for their Week 7 matchup against the Washington Commanders.

Following an abysmal showing against the Carolina Panthers last weekend, all eyes are on the struggling defense, with the secondary taking center stage. Through six games, the defense has surrendered an NFL-worst 1,617 yards through the air.

Clearly, a change is needed and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus said they will be looking at everything heading into this week.

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On Thursday, it was obvious where he wanted to look first as he had the secondary working on man-technique drills.

To start practice today, the cornerback group was running through man press techniques.

A sign of more man coverage to come?

"When your performance has been inconsistent or not to the standard, you look at everything," DC Matt Eberflus said today. pic.twitter.com/6zDKqQwbIJ
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) October 16, 2025

Through the first six games of the year, the Dallas secondary has been primarily playing in zone coverage. The results have been disastrous with wide receivers finding massive holes in coverage.

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It also makes sense given the skill set of their starting cornerbacks such as Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland, who have both been ineffective under Eberflus.

Cowboys defense needs help beyond their secondary

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus looks on during the game between the Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Even if the Cowboys are able to get improved play from their secondary, there will be plenty more work needed to get the defense on track. They’re still struggling to consistently pressure the quarterback, with James Houston leading the way with 3.5 sacks, Kenny Clark in second with 1.5, and no one else picking up more than one.

Jerry Jones has been adamant that the team could look to add talent via trade, with Trey Hendrickson recently emerging as a possible target. It wouldn’t be cheap to bring him in, and only makes sense if the secondary begins to show any signs of life. Otherwise, they would be burning through future assets on a potentially lost season.

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