Shocking stat explains why Cowboys have the NFL’s worst defense

Entering Week 7, the Dallas Cowboys have the worst defense in the NFL. They've surrendered a total of 2,470 yards and haven't been good against the run or the pass.

Their pass defense has given up a league-worst 1,617 yards through the air and much of the attention for their struggles has been focused on this area. Unfortunately, they're not much better against the run.

Dallas has been gashed for 853 yards on the ground, which ranks them 29th in the league. It's frustrating enough to see these numbers, but it looks even worse when zeroing in on their linebackers.

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Pro Football Focus records stop percentage in run defense and three of the worst linebackers in the NFL are on the Cowboys. As if that wasn't bad enough, Jack Sanborn is eighth in missed tackles, showing that Dallas has some major issues at the position.

PFF tracks stop % in run defense.

Among linebackers, three of the worst six NFL linebackers are Cowboys (min. 37 run def. snaps)

2. Kenneth Murray
4. Marist Liufau
6. Shemar James

Jack Sanborn boasts the 8th highest missed tackle %. pic.twitter.com/m3ZyrYiTXk
— Mauricio Rodríguez (@MauNFL) October 17, 2025

Cowboys linebackers are a major concern

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Shemar James lines up during the game between the Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Kenneth Murray, Marist Liufau, and Shemar James are all listed among the worst run defenders at the linebacker spot, which explains why teams are able to run all over the Cowboys.

It's discouraging, especially after the front office made moves to shore up their run defense. They not only added defensive tackle Kenny Clark in a trade with the Green Bay Packers, but Murray was added due to his ability to stop the run. The veteran even vowed that his team would be able to get the job done this offseason.

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As they prepare to face the Washington Commanders in Week 7, the Cowboys are working on new techniques in the secondary in hopes of slowing down the opposing team's passing attack.

While getting improved play from their secondary will help, the Cowboys defense will continue to struggle if the linebackers don't help in the run game. Of course, they wouldn't be the league's worst defense if there was one fix.

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus on the field during pregame. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

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