Quinnen Williams has spent the past four games getting into opposing backfields. The Dallas Cowboys would be wise to give him some company.
Jonathan Bullard and Marist Liufau both practiced fully Wednesday, the first Cowboys workout of Week 10, giving a defense preparing for San Francisco two encouraging developments rooted in the present. Bullard worked through a calf issue at defensive tackle, while Liufau participated despite a forearm issue at outside linebacker.
Neither designation guarantees a Sunday uniform, but both players completed the day’s work and gave Dallas a chance to assess them in football conditions rather than through hopeful language.
The 4-5 Cowboys host the 7-1 49ers on Nov. 15. That record makes San Francisco a substantial opponent without requiring Dallas to turn the matchup into a referendum on the franchise. For the defensive front, a better starting point is simpler: how many players can take part in preparation, and how can the staff make use of them?
Bullard and Liufau gave the coaches actual work to assess.
The defensive news also demanded careful reading. Donovan Ezeiruaku did not practice because of an ankle issue. Von Miller was absent as well, but his designation was rest and was specifically not injury-related. Putting those two entries in the same category would make the report less informative. One is a missed session tied to a physical issue; the other is a veteran rest day.
Ezeiruaku’s absence leaves Dallas with less certainty at outside linebacker, particularly because Liufau’s full participation is still only a practice update. Liufau was available for Wednesday’s work, which gives the Cowboys more to evaluate, but it does not establish his role against San Francisco or confirm that the forearm problem has disappeared. The team can learn more from another day on the field.
It cannot learn that from a designation alone.
Bullard’s full participation offers a different benefit. Interior defensive tackle is not a position that operates in isolation, and Dallas will want more than one disruptive answer when it faces a strong opponent. Quinnen Williams has produced 10 tackles for loss and four sacks across his past four games, a stretch that gives the front a proven source of pressure and backfield disruption.
It also makes the work around him more important. A defense cannot sensibly expect one lineman to manufacture every difficult down.
Williams emphasized execution after Wednesday’s practice, rather than treating San Francisco’s record as a legend to be discussed. That focus fits the week. Dallas needs its front to handle assignments, finish chances when they appear and avoid giving the 49ers simple answers.
Bullard’s full session gives the Cowboys another experienced interior option to examine alongside Williams, even though no snap count or Sunday role has been announced.
