Dallas aims to exorcise decade-long demons and secure its first 2-0 preseason start since 2007, signaling a cultural shift for a franchise desperate to prove this era is different.
The 2026 Dallas Cowboys have the chance to be different because Jerry and Stephen Jones have operated differently.
There was no contract drama with George Pickens like many anticipated. Quinnen Williams got signed and sealed for three more years in a quiet manner. Von Miller was brought in to bolster an improved pass rush as a rotational piece — not a savior.
These are all examples of how Dallas' game plan since February has been different, and there are even more than I just described.
But now it's up to the guys who wear the stars on their helmets to prove to the football world that things are different ... which is why the Cowboys' preseason tilt against the Arizona Cardinals is so important.
Yes, it's a preseason exhibition match against a team who just possessed the No. 3 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and one that isn't expected to make any sort of noise whatsoever next season.
However, the Cowboys haven't secured a victory over the Cardinals since Carson Palmer was at quarterback.
2017 — Dak Prescott's second season as a pro — marks the last time Dallas downed Arizona.
September 25, 2017, to be exact.
A victory over Arizona's backups and third-stringers won't ease the sting that remains from Monday Night Football in Week 9 last year ... nor from the catastrophe against Josh Dobbs in Week 3 of the 2023 season .... nor from a 38-10 beatdown in 2020, which featured Andy Dalton at quarterback, also on Monday Night Football.
But it would at least help.
That's not the only piece of history the Cowboys could make on Saturday evening, though.
Dallas hasn't opened preseason with a 2-0 record since 2007. What did the Cowboys look like in 2007?
Well, they finished the season 13-3 and earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC before falling to Eli Manning and the New York Giants on their way to a Super Bowl upset over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
Even though the campaign resulted in another disappointment, it did produce *one of* the best Cowboys teams since the turn of the century. I'll leave it up to your discretion whether that team was better than the 2014 or 2016 squads.
There are absolutely more immediately important storylines that will come from this game.
Who wins the backup QB job? Does Justin Barron continue his push to make the 53-man roster? Will one of the Cowboys' backup running backs comfortably pull away from the rest of the pack behind Javonte Williams?
Oh, and are there more trades to come?
Those are all significantly more impactful on who the 2026 Dallas Cowboys truly are.
But if this team really is different, beating Arizona and starting the preseason 2-0 would be a decent place to start.
After all ... there are only so many Cowboys droughts this team can realistically end in August.
