Are the Cowboys about to make a lot of noise in 2026?
Brian Schottenheimer's first year as an NFL head coach didn't go the way he planned, with the Dallas Cowboys missing out on the playoffs with a 7-9-1 record.
His offense was superb, being one of the best in football for the most part, but the defense? Yeah, that was a train wreck.
With major contract issues for George Pickens and Javonte Williams that need to be addressed to keep that offense together, coupled with the defensive reinforcements needed, it's a big offseason for Dallas.
How new defensive coordinator Christian Parker gets the NFL's world unit in football to become something more than a bunch of training cones will be an interesting watch.
But he needs the players to execute his vision. And he'll have roughly $100 million in cap space and two first-round picks to do it with. Now, will he completely overhaul the defense? Not likely in one offseason, but he can get some substantial improvement.
Granted, the bar for improvement isn't exactly set too high after last season, but still, there are positive vibes around what Parker could do for this defense.
And it appears those vibes are coming to CBS Sports' Jared Dubin, who has named the Cowboys as one of five teams he thinks can make a leap in 2026.
“The main reason they didn't win double-digit games in 2025 was because of their horrendous defense,” Dubin wrote. “The Cowboys should improve on that end thanks to the hiring of Christian Parker as their defensive coordinator, as well as the two first-round picks with which they have an opportunity to add talent on that side of the ball.
“If they can get to even below-average on defense rather than disastrous, that should be worth a few wins, so long as they keep George Pickens around and retain one of the NFL's most explosive offenses.”
The thing in Dallas' favor, providing it signs Pickens and Williams, is that the defense doesn't have to be elite, or even great, for it to win games; it just has to be competent.
A league average defense last season, and Dallas is a playoff team. Argue with a wall.
That's how good the offense, at times, was.
Now, if the front office can keep Schottenheimer's offense together, while also adding in some nice pieces like Alex Singleton or Devin Bush, just to name a few, then Dallas might have something cooking in 2026.
But again, that word "if" the Cowboys can do something.
We all know they can. But is the desire there to do everything they can to not make it three straight seasons with no playoffs?
We're about to find out.