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Cowboys vs Buccaneers: 2 players Dallas should use more in Week 5

The Dallas Cowboys enter Week 5 with a chance to build on their first back-to-back wins of the season, but their pass rush remains a glaring weakness. Through four games, Dallas ranks tied for last in the NFL with just four sacks and only two defenders—Rashan Gary and Quinnen Williams—registering nine or more pressures.

The team’s bet on rookie edge rusher Malachi Lawrence to anchor the unit has yet to pay off, as he’s logged only 42 pass-rush snaps while flashing potential with a 20.5% pass-rush win rate and four hurries. With Tampa Bay’s winless start (0-4) and a short week complicating preparations, the Cowboys should deploy Lawrence more aggressively against the Buccaneers’ offense to test his upside as a disruptive force up the middle.

On defense, veteran defensive tackle Otito Ogbonnia has been Dallas’ most reliable run-stopper, leading the unit with 10 defensive stops and a 74.2 run-defense grade. Despite his dominance, Ogbonnia has been underutilized in two games this season, playing 12 or fewer run-defense snaps against Washington and Houston.

To maintain their recent momentum, the Cowboys must maximize Ogbonnia’s impact by giving him more reps in the trenches this Thursday night.

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