With the season less than a month away, 2026 Dallas Cowboys predictions pour in from every corner of the media landscape. As always, this time of year is when fans and pundits alike come out of the woodwork to talk about America’s Team.
No matter the opinion, the fact is that Dallas sells. This clouds people’s judgment and leads to countless hyperbolic statements, both negative and positive. Depending on the outlet, the team could be painted as God’s gift to football or a complete and utter disgrace to the game.
This offseason has been uncharacteristically drama-free for Dallas. Owner/GM Jerry Jones has refrained from making any outrageous remarks; George Pickens quickly and quietly signed his franchise tag, and Quinnen Williams agreed to a contract extension with zero theatrics at all.
It almost looks like the sole focus is on building a winning football team. Is that even possible???
2026 Dallas Cowboys: Is This Finally The Year?
A year ago at this time, the Cowboys were in a much different situation. Brian Schottenheimer was an unproven first-year head coach; there was no clear answer at running back, and the Micah Parsons saga was at a breaking point. Now, Schottenheimer looks the part as a playcaller and head coach, Javonte Williams looks like the back he was billed to be coming out of North Carolina, and Parsons is long gone, with the trade seeming more and more to be in Dallas’ favor.
The offense was obviously the Cowboys’ calling card last season. It was already one of the best in the league and is primed to be even better in 2026. The importance of having continuity cannot be overstated. Every single starter on offense is returning, and they should all be fully indoctrinated in Schottenheimer and OC Klayton Adams’ offense by now.
Dak Prescott is still in the prime of his career and poised for another massive season. He is the unquestioned leader of this team and a popular pick to win MVP. Prescott is not in it for individual accolades, but winning the award would mean the team as a whole had a special season too.
Williams is fresh off a new contract and will be unchallenged as the bell cow running back. The real question is which of the remaining RBs will make the roster. In all likelihood, they will keep only three backs, meaning Malik Davis, Jaydon Blue, and Phil Mafah are competing for the final two slots. Davis has the most NFL experience of the three and has been effective in limited playing time. He averaged 4.8 YPC on 52 carries last season and is likely to be the RB2 again.
Blue was highly touted coming out of Texas in 2025, but has struggled with understanding the offense and pass protection responsibilities. This is why he was limited to only five games last year and is now in danger of being cut despite his impressive talent. Mafah was a seventh-round pick this past season and was only active for one game, but those within the organization have consistently sung his praises. He is a big RB at 6’1″, 232 pounds, and coaches have been impressed with his ability to be a power runner and strong pass blocker.
The receiver room is shaping up to be a major strength once again. The duo of Pickens and Ceedee Lamb is arguably the best in football and will give every defensive coordinator on the schedule headaches. One lesser-known player poised to make a big leap in year three is Ryan Flournoy. He had a solid second season in an auxiliary role, putting up 40 catches for 475 yards and four touchdowns. The SE Missouri product is looking to lock down the third receiver spot and should see plenty of opportunities with Lamb and Pickens drawing so much of the attention.
Jake Ferguson returns as the clear TE1 for the Cowboys. He was second on the team in receptions and receiving touchdowns in 2025 and should remain highly involved in the passing game. Still only 27 years old, it would be nice to see him re-emerge as a YAC threat. Perhaps it could be chalked up to bumps and bruises along the way, but it seemed last year that element of his game disappeared much of the time.
Brevyn Spann-Ford appears to have overtaken Luke Schoonmaker for the second tight end spot. Spann-Ford offers greater athletic ability while still being a solid blocker. Schoonmaker, quite frankly, has been a disappointing former second-round pick, and it is no guarantee that he makes this team. Undrafted free agent Michael Trigg has flashed during training camp, and it’s not out of the question that he could snag the third TE spot.
The offensive line is young and looking to ascend to one of the best in the NFL. With three first-round picks invested there, now is the time to start seeing some dividends. The biggest player to watch, both literally and figuratively, is 6’7″, 325-pound left tackle Tyler Guyton. He has had ups and downs through his first two seasons, and the starting job was not promised to him at the start of training camp. The former first-round pick has all the physical tools to be elite; it’s just a matter of putting it all together.
2026 Dallas Cowboys Defense
It is no secret that the much-maligned Cowboys defense was one of the worst in history in 2025. The front office certainly took note and made sure nearly the entire unit was overhauled. The biggest addition, however, may not even be a player, but rather first-time defensive coordinator Christian Parker. At just 34 years old, he becomes the youngest DC in franchise history and brings with him an already extremely impressive resume.
Parker was the defensive backs coach for the Eagles for the past two seasons and held the same role with the Broncos for three seasons prior. Legendary defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and former players rave about Parker’s ability to teach and develop, and he looks exactly like the type of person needed to revitalize the Dallas defense. By stealing him away from rival Philadelphia before he could succeed Fangio, this has the potential to be a massive win for the Cowboys.
In terms of actual player personnel, there’s been massive turnover. Ten defensive players who played at least 20 snaps in Week 1 of 2025 are no longer on the roster today. That is not a normal occurrence for an NFL team, but it was a necessity.
Starting with the front seven, this is a group with a lot of new faces and, on paper, should be much improved. A full year of Williams and Kenny Clark will be a treat to watch, and they will be one of, if not the best, interior D-line duos in the league. Both can stifle the run game while still having advanced pass-rushing skills. The Cowboys also signed DTs Otito Ogbonnia and Jonathan Bullard, who may not be household names, but are extremely stout against the run and were great under-the-radar pickups.
Edge rushers, much like most positions on defense, were an area of weakness in 2025. Jadeveon Clowney, who left in free agency, led the team with 8.5 sacks, and no other player had more than 5.5 sacks. That’s not good enough for any team to be legitimately competitive.
It is for that reason that Dallas has made three key additions to that group so far. They traded for Rashan Gary, drafted Malachi Lawrence in the first round, and recently signed future Hall of Famer Von Miller. None of them are being asked to be superstars at this point in their careers, but all three should provide great depth and solid production.
Donovan Ezeiruaku, James Houston, and Sam Williams are also expected to round out the edge rusher rotation. Ezeiruaku is definitely the most exciting of the bunch, as he is entering his second season and will be turning just 23 years old in September. The former second-round pick only recorded two sacks in his rookie campaign, but he clearly looks the part of an NFL pass rusher. It would not be surprising in the slightest if he burst onto the scene this year with a much better supporting cast.
Although it would be hard to determine, linebacker may have been the most egregiously bad position group on last season’s defense. Kenneth Murray, Jack Sanborn, Logan Wilson, Damone Clarke, and Marist Liufau all played significant snaps at LB in 2025. Liufau is the only one still on the roster, and there is a strong chance he is cut before the season starts. That shows what kind of talent the Cowboys had to work with in that department…
A full season of DeMarvion Overshown and new addition Dee Winters will supply much more capable and non-disgraceful linebacker play. Overshown has demonstrated flashes of greatness, but his biggest enemy has been injuries. If he can stay healthy, he is one of the best LBs in the game. Winters was not a flashy pickup, but he is just a good football player. He will help stabilize the defense and allow Overshown to do what he does best and be around the ball.
Jaishawn Barham and Shemar James will be the rotational linebackers. Barham is an interesting prospect as a rookie because he has the ability to rush the passer in addition to being an off-ball linebacker. He has impressed throughout camp and will have an opportunity to play significant football in his first pro season. James showed promise in 2025, but too much was asked of him as a rookie. He should be another player who benefits from having better talent around him and not having as much expected of him.
The secondary is a unit that should have a lot of excitement surrounding it. With Parker’s main expertise being working with defensive backs, coupled with the offseason acquisitions, there should be a much better product.
The crown jewel of those acquisitions would be the first-round pick out of Ohio State, Mr. Caleb Downs. He gets Mr. in front of his name because he deserves it. Downs is a total chess piece on defense and can line up anywhere on the field and impact the game. Whether he’s playing center field as a deep safety, lining up in the box, or as the nickelback, he is a threat that offenses have to be aware of. This is the type of player that can transform a defense, and Dallas will be counting on him to do exactly that.
While Downs is expected to be the star of the show, the Cowboys signed three other potential difference-makers in the secondary. The veteran safeties Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke, and veteran cornerback Cobie Durant also joined the fray. Thompson is expected to partner with Malik Hooker as the main safety pairing, but Locke will certainly be in the mix for snaps. Safety play has been an issue in Dallas for a long time, so hopefully adding veterans with a history of playing good football can help soothe those woes.
Durant is projected to start opposite DaRon Bland after four productive seasons with the Rams. He is another one of these under-the-radar signings that could prove to be incredibly impactful. Durant is a corner who isn’t afraid to make a play on the ball and, ideally, gives the team a veteran corner who isn’t a liability out there.
Bland is a player who has shown he has elite talent when healthy, but that has been a problem the last two seasons. If he can ditch the injury bug and learn from Parker’s teachings, a return to his 2023 All-Pro form is a real possibility.
An interesting corner that most non-Cowboys fans are probably unfamiliar with is Shavon Revel Jr. He was a projected first-round pick coming out of East Carolina last year, but a knee injury caused him to fall to the third round. He debuted about midseason and played in seven games where he did struggle, but the talent is more than evident. Another year off the injury, a full training camp under his belt, and having a DC with a history of getting the most out of young CBs all seem like a recipe for success in year two for Revel.
2026 Dallas Cowboys Finals Thoughts
Until Dallas brings home another Lombardi Trophy, the joke each new season will always be that “every year is their year”. While usually those types of statements from delusional Cowboys fans can be dismissed as exactly that, something just seems different this time.
The lack of drama, the intelligent signings and trades, and the Christian Parker hire all seem too good to be true. The NFC East is a wide-open division, and the NFC as a whole is more up for grabs than people think. Most will roll their eyes at the idea, but like it or not, the Cowboys are shaping up to be a team to reckon with right now and for years to come.
