Cowboys Urged to Trade Underperforming Starter Before Regular Season

“Under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker, Liufau will transition to edge-rusher,” Moton wrote on July 14. “In two years as an off-ball linebacker, he has been unable to make a significant impact. The former third-rounder has 80 tackles (five for loss), 2.5 sacks and three pass breakups in 34 games (14 starts). If Liufau struggles with a move to the edge, the Cowboys could shop him before final roster cuts. Teams in need of a rotational pass-rusher may see untapped potential in the 25-year-old at his new position.”

Marist Liufau Facing ‘Make or Break’ Season in 2026

SB Nation’s LP Cruz singled Liufau out as facing a “make or break” year in 2026 if he wants to stay on the roster.

Over the last 2 seasons, Liufau has started 14 games at off-ball linebacker — a group that’s been singled out as 1 of the NFL’s worst for the last 2 years.

“Marist Liufau is probably under the most overt pressure out of any on this list, while at the same time put in somewhat unfair circumstances,” Cruz wrote on May 25. “Consider 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’s a lot to take on while also adjusting to life at the NFL level. 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.”

‘Last Ditch’ Diss Not Fair to Marist Liufau

Cowboys Wire called moving the 6-foot-2, 238-pound Liufau to edge rusher in Parker’s 3-4 defensive scheme a “Last Ditch” effort to find a role for him, which doesn’t seem entirely fair.

They’re not the only ones who think that way, however.

“Nudging Liufau to the outside now seems to set up the team to nudge Liufau out altogether in the near future,” Heavy’s Sean Deveney wrote on May 12.

The better argument might be that any defensive player drafted by the Cowboys in the last 2 years — ever since defensive coordinator Dan Quinn left to become head coach of the Washington Commanders — hasn’t really gotten a fair shake in terms of development.

“As an outside linebacker, Liufau’s pass rushing, coverage and run fits should be somewhat simplified,” Cowboys Wire’s Reid D. Hanson wrote. “It’s 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.”