There is no shortage of needs for the Cowboys' defense, but can the franchise fix them all in one offseason?
The Dallas Cowboys' front office has a mountain of work ahead of it in the coming months. ... with a peak coming on Wednesday at new defensive coordinator Christian Parker will be introduced to the public and the media for the first time via a 3 p.m. CT press conference at The Star in Frisco.
And then ... back to work.
The checklist that the franchise must work through is rather long, but if Dallas can work through it, then come the beginning of the 2026 season, maybe, just maybe, it will have a team capable of competing for a playoff spot.
And who knows, maybe more.
But for that to happen, the Cowboys front office (and I mean Jerry and Stephen Jones) is going to have to buck the trend in how they've gone about their business over the past handful of years.
Firstly, having a quiet offseason with no distractions.
Getting the contracts of George Pickens and Javonte Williams done with minimal fuss is job No. 1.
Then, as it pertains to free agency, stop bargain buying and go after players that can make a real difference. To do that, you've got to spend.
We've spoken at length about how the Cowboys can create over $100 million in cap room ahead of free agency, and doing so will allow the franchise to fill several roster holes needed to make the defense competitive.
But for Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame, in his "hope or mope" piece, a reason Cowboys Nation could mope is that the franchise fails to fill the needed roster holes.
"After trading Micah Parsons last summer, Dallas has to fill more defensive holes than it likely can in a single offseason, especially being more than $30 million over the cap," Verderame wrote.
With the need to find at least three to four starters, the Cowboys can easily do that, and as far as the cap situation, you know that is no barrier to how Dallas can move forward this offseason.
Given that corner, pass rusher, safety, and linebacker are key needs, will the Cowboys be able to fill all or most of those needs?
Right now, there's no reason why not. It is just a matter of how aggressive the Cowboys want to be.
It won't be cheap, but the two first-round picks give Dallas some wriggle room if it misses out on a player or two in free agency.
Cowboys Nation has moped around for long enough. The time for change has come, and under Brian Schottenheimer, there have been a few hints at change coming. ... including the hiring of the 34-year-old Parker.
Let's see if that translates to free agency.