Washington Commanders Opponent Preview: Dallas Cowboys

After kicking off the 2026 regular season in Philadelphia, the Washington Commanders will stay on the road when they head south to take on the Dallas Cowboys to open a tough start in 2026. Diving into the next divisional opponent on the Commanders' schedule:

2025 record: 7-9-1, Second in NFC East

Key Players: Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams, DaRon Bland

Key losses: Dante Fowler, Jadeveon Clowney, Kenneth Murray, Corey Ballentine

Key additions: Rashan Gary, Jalen Thompson, Caleb Downs

How they Fared: Dallas finished with a losing record for the second straight year and won the same number of games they had in 2024. Quarterback Dak Prescott returned to start all 17 games after a hamstring injury cost him nine games the previous year. His return helped Dallas finish second in total offense and in the top in both the ground and through the air.

Defensively is another story as Dallas gave up the third-most yards and the most points in 2025. They also had the most passing yards thrown against them and the most yards per attempt. Turnovers were an issue on both sides of the ball. Dallas only had 12 takeaways last year, the third-worst in the league, while the offense finished 17th with 21 giveaways.

Key Matchups: Ceedee Lamb and George Pickens vs Washington Secondary

The secondary carries the biggest question mark on the Commanders' team going into the 2026 season. They will get a big test in their week two contest at Dallas, facing off against what might be the best receiver duo in the NFL. In Lamb’s first six years in the league, he’s led the league in receptions once, named an All-Pro three times, has over 7,000 receiving yards, and is 29 catches away from 600. Pickens, meanwhile, came to Dallas following a trade from Pittsburgh and had the best season of his career in 2025. He finished third in the entire league in catches to go along with career-highs in yards and touchdowns, being named to the Pro Bowl and a second-team All-Pro.

He rejoined the Dallas via the franchise tag during the offseason to cause havoc for opposing defensive backs with Lamb in 2026. This will be a challenge for a Washington secondary that was bottom five in both yards and touchdowns given up through the air. Safety Nick Cross’ signing with the Commanders went under the radar with the additions of edge rushers K’Lavon Chaisson and Odafe Oweh. He’ll team with Will Harris, who only played in nine games last year after signing during the 2025 offseason. Main backups Jeremy Reaves and Quan Martin are two veterans with experience starting.

At corner, 2025 second-round pick Trey Amos returns from a fractured fibula suffered in week 10. How he performs following this injury is big for the unit. Mike Sainristil mans the other corner spot and has picked off six interceptions during his first two years in the league. Amik Robertson was signed to guard the slot. There’s also Antonio Hamilton, Ahkello Witherspoon, and Darius Rush. The Commanders also recently signed free agent corner Rasul Douglas, who could loom large in the week two matchup.

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