Mike Zimmer may have introduced another Cowboys defensive player with the Week 12 win

The Dallas Cowboys’ thrilling 36-24 win over the Washington Commanders had a little bit of everything, which is ironic because it was a brutal first three quarters.

On an afternoon full of special teams errors, it was only fitting that Washington missed the game-winning extra point after Jayden Daniels’ 86-yard touchdown to Terry McLaurin with 21 seconds left in regulation. The Cowboys’ defense completely imploded on the touchdown, but that shouldn’t take away from the incredible performance of Mike Zimmer’s unit.

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The returns of DaRon Bland and Jourdan Lewis paid dividends in the secondary, while Micah Parsons, Osa Odighizuwa, Mazi Smith (!!) and Chauncey Golston led a fantastic game on defense.

With Bland and Lewis not giving an inch in coverage, Daniels wanted to select former undrafted free agent Josh Butler. Butler was competing for the second time in a few weeks due to injury and was more than up to the challenge. He just delivered one of the best games by a Cowboys UDFA in franchise history.

While Butler gave up a lot of catches, he was fantastic in coverage. He distributed three passes and also recorded a team-high 12 tackles and a sack.

The Cowboys announced after the game that Butler’s three pass breakups were the most by an undrafted Dallas player since 1994. The last undrafted Cowboy with three PBUs in a game was Sterling Moore in 2013 against the Packers.

This was also Butler’s second career start. He was elevated to the active roster prior to last week’s game against the Texans. His final year at Michigan State was 2018 and he did not play professional football until 2023 with the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League.

Butler’s performance earned him an invitation to the Cowboys’ training camp. He was cut several times but was added to the practice squad in August.

With little experience, the Commanders smartly tested Butler with 12 targets, according to Pro Football Focus. We’ve seen opposing quarterbacks avoid Trevon Diggs and go with rookie Caelen Carson. The fifth-round pick allowed play after play and was benched on Sunday.

Jayden Daniels wanted to do the same with Butler.

Bland was barely heard throughout the game. It would have been a long afternoon for Zimmer’s defense if Butler wasn’t up to the challenge. Nobody would have batted an eyelid if the 28-year-old hadn’t put in his performance, but he played a prominent role in the team’s best defensive performance of the season.

Butler may need to produce impressive performances before we can say with absolute certainty that he deserves a spot in next year’s defense. However, given the need for quality cornerbacks in depth, he may have earned another year in the league with Sunday’s performance.

Regardless of whether Diggs returns for Thanksgiving, Butler will need to see significant playing time in the final six games. He could be the Cowboys’ newest diamond in the rough.

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