Dallas Cowboys former head coach Jimmy Johnson laughs with former players Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, and Emmitt Smith after being inducted into the Ring of Honor. Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Cowboys legend says 'No. 1 key' to success is what team failed to do in 2024

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Josh Sanchez | Last updated Jul 18, 2025 5:54 PM ET

Jimmy Johnson knows what it takes to build a winning team. Johnson led the Miami Hurricanes to a national title before taking his talents to the NFL and leading the Dallas Cowboys to two Super Bowl championships.

Johnson is enshrined in Cowboys history and a member of the team's Ring of Honor, so when he shares his thoughts on the franchise it's worth a listen.

Recently, Johnson discussed what the Cowboys need to be successful during the 2025-26 season and his "No. 1 key" is something the team struggled to do during their disappointing 2024 campaign.

Johnson acknowledges the team lacks the depth that other elite teams around the league have, so the most important thing for Dallas is to stay healthy, especially when you look at the historically difficult stretch the team faces in the second half of the season.

"They're top-heavy salary wise. And so their 53-man roster may not be quite as talented at the bottom the as some of these other teams," Johnson said, via DallasCowboys.com.

"The other thing is, they have a very difficult stretch there toward the end of the season. So if they're not at full strength when they're playing those top teams – the second half of at the end of the season, it's going to be a problem. So staying healthy is the No. 1 key."

Last season, the Cowboys were plagued by injuries. Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, and several other All-Pro talents were forced to miss time due to injury.

No team can overcome those kinds of losses, so for Dallas, it's important to make sure they are taking care of the players early on in the season so everyone can roll when crunch time finally comes. If they can do that, Dallas has a good shot at reaching the postseason.

This article first appeared on Dallas Cowboys on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: