Thirty seasons and counting.
Three decades have come and gone since the Dallas Cowboys last won a Super Bowl. Heck it’s been that long since they’ve played in an NFC Championship Game. If this is the year that the Cowboys return to championship weekend, Dallas will need more than just one of the best offenses in the NFL. They’ll need a defense with a new coordinator and several new faces to show a lot of improvement over an historically bad performance a season ago. There are promising signs defensively and one of the best offenses in the league returns everyone, but these are the Cowboys, and seeing is most definitely believing.
don’t sleep on QB1’s speed ⚡️#CowboysCamp | @AmericanAir pic.twitter.com/etj3PiU6rm
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 26, 2026
Dak Prescott enters his 11th NFL season in 2026. He was 3rd in the league with 4,552 passing yards a season ago, and when he looks around, Prescott will see essentially the same personnel around him this year. Despite missing parts of four games in 2025, CeeDee Lamb had a 1,000 yard season. Lamb’s counterpart, George Pickens, finished 3rd in the NFL with 1,429 receiving yards. Pickens is playing the 2026 season on the franchise tag and he’s been a complete professional about it. Another season like he had last year, and Pickens will be due a massive contract…be it in Dallas or somewhere else. One of the biggest surprises a season ago was RB Javonte Williams rushing for 1,201 yards, good for 9th in the NFL and a career high. Jaydon Blue and Malik Davis both have the speed to make big plays carrying the ball. TE Jake Ferguson is a reliable target. The offensive line is very good in the interior with LG Tyler Smith, C Cooper Beebe, and RG Tyler Booker, but the key to how good the line can really be lies with LT Tyler Guyton and RT Terence Steele. Guyton has plenty of talent, but he’s battled injuries, and Steele isn’t as consistent as one would like. Overall, if the Cowboys have all of their pieces healthy, they should score plenty of points.
never gets old 😏#CowboysCamp | @AmericanAir pic.twitter.com/ocqzN717iT
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 26, 2026
There’s a lot of changes on the other side of the ball and there darn sure needed to be after the Cowboys finished 30th in total defense and last in scoring defense in 2025. New defensive coordinator Christian Parker comes to Dallas after most recently being on the Eagles’ coaching staff. This will be Parker’s first chance at calling a defense and he brings with him a terrific reputation and a base 3-4. After coming to the Cowboys in a midseason trade with the Jets, DT Quinnen Williams will be counted on to anchor this group. Kenny Clark returns at a DT spot after arriving in Dallas as part of the Micah Parsons trade a year ago. LB DeMarvion Overshown has plenty of speed, but he’s had trouble staying healthy. Dee Winters comes over from San Francisco at another LB spot, and one of the standouts of training camp has been Michigan rookie Jaishawn Barham. Look for Barham to get more and more playing time as the season goes along. On the outside, Rashan Gary had 7 1/2 sacks in his first 7 games for the Packers last year, but he didn’t record any over his final 9 games. Donovan Ezeiruaku will be expected to pressure the QB more in his second pro season, and the Cowboys recently signed future Hall of Famer Von Miller to bolster their pass rush. Miller won’t be counted on to play down in and down out, but he did have 9 sacks for Washington a season ago. There’s a lot of new faces in the secondary as Cobie Durant comes over from the Rams at a CB spot opposite DaRon Bland and SS Jalen Thompson spent his first seven seasons in Arizona. The player that I’m most excited to watch this season is S Caleb Downs, the 11th overall pick out of Ohio State. If you can imagine something positive to say about a football player, it’s been said about Downs; athleticism, intelligence, physicality, work ethic…he checks all the boxes. He’ll be on the field, in a variety of roles, from the first snap on.
.@calebdowns had the whole defense hyped 🔥#CowboysCamp | @AmericanAir pic.twitter.com/cpTAWPCTzd
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 26, 2026
Simply put, as long as the Cowboys’ offense doesn’t suffer catastrophic injuries, it should be one of the best in the league. The success of the 2026 season comes down to how this defense plays in a new system, with a new coordinator, and with several new faces in the starting lineup. The newness was needed after being an embarrassment last year. I’ve got the Cowboys going 10-7 and earning a Wild Card spot, but an NFC East title isn’t out of the question if Philadelphia takes a step back. The playoffs are within reach, but a Super Bowl run? Well, seeing is believing.
Matt Meyer
@Bluto51
Join LIVE for HC Brian Schottenheimer’s press conference from The Star in Frisco presented by American Airlines
📺: #NOvsDAL 8/28 on CBS11/NFL+ #DallasCowboys | @AmericanAirhttps://t.co/rw3sFHph6A
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 24, 2026
