The Cowboys were up and down in Brian Schottenheimer's first season, but this offseason gives the franchise the chance to turbo-charge its 2026 aspirations.
The road back to the playoffs for the Dallas Cowboys in Brian Schottenheimer's second year as head coach is simple.
Make the defense league average. That's it.
We stated so many times last season that if the Cowboys' defense was just average, Schottenheimer would have led them to the playoffs thanks to having one of the best offenses in football.
Hence, this offseason, most of the focus has been on fixing the defense for new coordinator Christian Parker. Good additions have come in with Rashan Gary, PJ Locke, Cobie Durant, and Jalen Thompson.
But of course, more is needed to fix the train wreck that was the defense in 2025.
If the defense can go from 32nd in the league to 20th, the Cowboys have every chance to make the playoffs in 2026.
And I'm not the only one who thinks so.
Fox Sports' Eric Williams, in naming five teams ready to make the postseason leap in 2026, has named the Cowboys as one of those teams.
"Brian Schottenheimer was better than expected in his first year as head coach," Williams wrote. "Led by quarterback Dak Prescott, the Cowboys had one of the top offenses in the league last year, averaging 28 points a game.
"And with the trade of Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers last year, the Cowboys have two first-round picks and eight total in this year’s draft, including four in the top 112.
"That should be enough to add a handful of contributors to a team that should compete for a playoff spot in the NFC East."
The biggest thing to note here is that all of this is predicated on the offense being elite again.
As we know in the NFL, success isn't linear, and you can make the case that the offense can't afford a drop off from its production last season.
Yes, the defense has to improve, but the offense has to maintain the rage as well.
If, and that's a big if, both things happen, then who knows what Schottenheimer's second year will produce?
If we are being honest, Dallas should be a playoff team, right? The coaching from Parker alone "should" see some sort of improvement.
Coupled with the defensive additions in free agency and two first-round picks, can Dallas book its playoff ticket?
While I'd hold off right now, it feels like Schotty's Cowboys could be in line for a second-year leap.