Defensive end Dante Fowler agreed to return to the Cowboys this month and the veteran’s first meeting with the media since signing his contract included discussion about his spike in production after leaving Dallas for Washington last year.
Fowler had 10.5 sacks for the Commanders after picking up 10 over two seasons with the Cowboys. Fowler played in Dan Quinn’s defense all three seasons and he explained why he felt he was able to turn things up a notch in Washington and why he thinks this can be his new normal.
“I feel like I got the most reps I got in a long time. . . . I feel like that played a role in it, I had a really good offseason, taking care of my body, working out, stuff like that, so I felt really confident going into the season,” Fowler said, via the Cowboys website. “I already knew what kind of work I was going to put out because I put the work in in the offseason, so I was very confident in what I was going to do this season. I’m just going to take the same formula here in Dallas, we have better resources down here too, so I’m excited to see where it’s going to go. I don’t know why, maybe I was a late bloomer or something, but I definitely started to click and make sense last year, I don’t see why it would just stop right now.”
The change in defensive schemes would be one reason to think Fowler could fail to repeat his 2024 success, but he called himself “a hybrid that can adjust to anything” defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus wants to do and the Cowboys would welcome that kind of productivity in Fowler’s return to the team.
