A losing season fades, but a prime draft position and an extra high-value pick offer a glimmer of hope for Dallas' future.
The Dallas Cowboys' 2025 season didn't so much end as it expired in public.
A 34-17 Week 18 loss to the New York Giants cemented a 7-9-1 finish, keeping Dallas out of the playoffs and under .500 for the second straight year.
The defense was a weekly fire drill, special teams were a recurring jump scare, and the offense, while good enough to win most Sundays, kept leaving points on the field like it was allergic to the end zone.
Dallas never found a true signature win. The lone victory over a playoff team came against the division-rival Eagles, and even that one required a 21-0 comeback that felt less like dominance and more like Philadelphia's 2025 habit of forgetting how to score after halftime.
The result is an offseason that starts with more questions than answers, and one obvious obsession ... the 2026 NFL Draft.
Here's the part that won't make you throw your remote. Draft position actually broke Dallas' way. Because of the Cowboys' Week 4 tie against Green Bay, they would have drafted behind any team with the same number of wins. That made the Week 18 result massive.
Win, and Dallas would've slid behind the seven- and eight-win pack. Lose, and the Cowboys jump ahead of every team that finished with eight or more victories - exactly the kind of progress this season could realistically offer.
The Falcons helped shove Dallas into a cleaner lane, too. Atlanta's 19-17 win over New Orleans pushed the Falcons behind the Cowboys in draft order once Dallas took care of losing. Then came the final lock. The Dolphins got smoked 38-10, officially cementing the Cowboys at No. 12 overall in Round 1, with that slot holding steady through each subsequent round.
And then there's the extra spice. Dallas also owns Green Bay's first-round pick thanks to the Micah Parsons trade.
That turns the Packers' postseason into Cowboys-side entertainment. If Green Bay flames out in the Wild Card round, that pick lands around No. 20 or No. 21, depending on how that shakes out.
If the Packers stop the bleeding and win a playoff game, Dallas' bonus pick slides later, potentially as far back as No. 25.
The Cowboys didn't earn a playoff spot. But they did earn the right to draft a defender who can actually tackle. In 2026, that might be the closest thing to a fresh start.