There's a lot of work to do this offseason for the Cowboys, but can it get enough done to ensure a better 2026 season?
The Dallas Cowboys appear to be trending in the first direction under Brian Schottenheimer.
Yes, his first season, on face value, wasn't great, with a 7-9-1 record and no playoffs, but there were positive signs.
The locker room vibe and the offense becoming one of the best in football, thanks to the trade for George Pickens, immediately spring to mind.
But the defense under Matt Eberflus wasn't just bad; it was woeful, even after trading for Quinnen Williams midseason.
Now, it is Christian Parker's turn to try to get something meaningful from this defensive unit. But reinforcements have to be coming in.
Surely the Cowboys won't expect Parker to work his magic with the same group Eberflus had, right?
But given how bad the defense was, one or two signings won't cut it. At least three or four, possibly more, need to be signed in free agency, not to mention the two first-round picks Dallas has in its back pocket, too.
However, The Athletic's Mike Jones has his doubts that the Cowboys can get all of their defensive needs fixed in one offseason.
"First-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer proved effective as an offensive architect and play caller," Jones wrote. "But an atrocious defense cost Dallas a shot at the playoffs. So Schottenheimer fired Matt Eberflus as defensive coordinator and hired former Eagles secondary coach/passing game coordinator Christian Parker, hoping the 34-year-old can ignite the unit.
"Is one draft and free agency a window of opportunity enough to get that defense right?"
Well, there is one thing that works in Dallas' favor, if the front office signs Pickens and Javonte Williams. And it's that the defense doesn't have to go from bad to great for the Cowboys to be a playoff contender.
It has to simply improve enough to be league average.
Surely that can be done in one offseason, right?
Dallas will have the cap space to do whatever it wants, even with the tag or long-term deal for Pickens being completed.
There's a lot of work that Parker has to do in his first coordinator job in the NFL, and he's being thrown in the deep end. Luckily, if given the resources, he can put his stamp on this defense in Year 1.
But will he completely turn around one of the NFL's worst defenses in one offseason?
That might be a bridge too far.