After signing a one-year contract worth up to $5 million to join the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, the Dante Fowler era in Dallas is official over. Again. Last season was Fowler’s second stint with the Dallas Cowboys. His first tenure encompassed the 2022 and 2023 season with his second following a one-year interlude in Washington in 2024.
In many ways Fowler’s 2025 season was as much a disappointment as it was predictable. Fowler was coming off an outlier season with the Washington Commanders. The 10.5 sacks he logged with them marked only the second time in his 11-year career he posted over eight sacks in a season. But the Cowboys clearly saw a repeatable performance, inking Fowler to a one-year deal worth exactly twice what he made during his previous time with the Cowboys.
The Cowboys ignored the red flags staring them in the face. They ignored the outlier sack numbers, and they paid no mind to the static pressure numbers. Pressures, a far more stable statistic than sacks, have long been considered a better predictor of performance than sacks.
In his 10.5 sack season of 2024, Fowler posted 20 total pressures, which is actually less than his 21.5 average career pressure average. It just so happens Fowler posted 20 pressures again in 2025 with the Cowboys, only this time instead of pairing it with 10.5 sacks he only produced three sacks. This otherwise predictable outcome saw his numbers regress to the mean in 2025, leaving the Cowboys wondering what the heck had happened.
It’s a lesson the Cowboys would be wise to learn if they want to avoid further free agent mistakes. Pressure rate has long been considered a better indicator of future performance than sacks. It’s far more stable year to year and a better tool to follow when free agent hunting in the offseason.
Veteran edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. is signing with the Seahawks on a one-year deal worth up to $5 million, per sources.
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 draft, Fowler is now entering his 12th NFL season. Deal negotiated by Sean Kiernan and Tom Povinelli of @AthletesFirst. pic.twitter.com/IOyRrcoWAJ
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 5, 2026
Now, Fowler’s specific situation does involve more details that would be disingenuous to ignore. He played 205 more defensive snaps with the Commanders than he did with the Cowboys. This might help us explain the outlier sacks numbers but at the same time raises questions with the stagnant pressure numbers.
Speaking of pressure numbers, not all accounting is the same. Pro Football Reference counts 20 for each season but Pro Football Focus tells a much different tale. PFF tracked 43 regular season pressures in 2024 and 30 pressures in 2025. These are much more in line with his snap count disparity. But PFF also points out Fowler played a higher proportion of pass rush snaps in Dallas than he did in D.C. meaning the Cowboys put him in better position to post gaudy sack numbers than the Commanders.
At the end of the day, it comes down to predictive stats and free agent expectations. For as frugally as the Cowboys shop in free agency, they sure can be dismissive of predictive stats. Signing a player coming off an outlier season is dangerous in itself, add in all the details outlined above and it’s a real head-scratcher.
All the best to Dante Fowler as he joins the defending champs in 2026, but let’s not forget the lesson he taught us in 2025 when Dallas laid some pretty unrealistic expectations at his feet.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Fowler’s official departure is a reminder for Cowboys future strategy