Per Bleacher Report's Moe Moton, Liufau carries a 9-out-of-10 probability of being traded before the August 30 roster cuts deadline, tied for the highest mark among any player Moton flagged across the league.
The Math Doesn't Work For Him
Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, rookie first-round pick Malachi Lawrence, Miller, and James Houston are all viewed as locks or near-locks at outside linebacker, leaving Liufau and fellow veteran Sam Williams fighting for what might be a single remaining roster spot.
"Unless Dallas parts ways with Houston or Williams, Liufau is a long shot to make the roster and could draw interest from teams intrigued by his versatile skill set," Moton wrote. "Otherwise, he's a prime cut candidate."
Effort, heart, & football IQ✅
— Landon Holifield ✭ (@TheLandoShow) August 16, 2026
Marist Liufau checks all of those boxes & we didn’t even mention the versatility + contribution on special teams…
Keep in mind he’s in the 4th & final year of his rookie contract…. Christian Parker is his 4th defensive coordinator & he’s… https://t.co/I1ECfjy5Ho pic.twitter.com/YJyfWct25B
Cowboys beat writer Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram described it in similarly blunt terms, calling it a "domino effect" that will likely cost Dallas a former Day 2 pick.
Difficult Transition Made Harder By The Timing
Liufau was Dallas's third-round pick in 2024 out of Notre Dame and spent his first two seasons at inside linebacker before new defensive coordinator Christian Parker moved him outside this offseason, a swap head coach Brian Schottenheimer said would benefit his development.
The early results have been mixed.
He saw his first outside linebacker action in Saturday's preseason game against Seattle and flashed as a blitzer, but was also beaten by blockers at the line of scrimmage on multiple snaps. His defensive role has actually shrunk since arriving in Dallas, playing just 202 defensive snaps last season compared to 521 as a rookie, despite the Cowboys fielding one of the league's worst defenses in 2025.
Here we get a good look at #Cowboys OLB/EDGE Marist Liufau working in his new position. 👀
— Jadon (@thecowboysguru) August 3, 2026
🎥: (IG/blake_leschutaire) pic.twitter.com/BU6YDaFBXf
Liufau's calling card has always been special teams, where he played 74.59 percent of snaps last season, well above Williams' 29.55 percent over the same stretch.
Some Dallas beat reporters have floated Liufau as a potential C.J. Goodwin-type contributor for exactly that reason, someone who sticks on a roster because of core special teams value even if his defensive role stays limited.
That combination, a position-flexible former Day 2 pick who's proven durable on special teams, is a type of profile that tends to draw calls from other teams looking for cheap depth, even if Dallas ultimately decides simply cutting him is the more likely outcome.
A year after trading three-time All-Pro Micah Parsons to Green Bay, the Cowboys are once again reshaping their edge rusher room, and Liufau's fate has become a small but real subplot of that transition.
With final roster cuts due by August 30, Dallas will have to decide within the next week whether Liufau is worth keeping as a seventh outside linebacker, worth shopping to another team, or simply not worth the roster spot at all.
