Dallas Cowboys 2026 Offseason Outlook

Say what you will about the Dallas Cowboys, they are never boring. One of the most polarizing franchises in all of sports, Jerry Jones’ team hasn’t reached a conference championship game in 30 years, yet they are always a leading topic of conversation every offseason. The previous three offseasons were dominated by tense contract negotiations with star players Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons — with Prescott snd Lamb ultimately signing big deals and Parsons getting traded. Just when you thought the tense negotiations would calm down, wide receiver George Pickens had a breakout 2025 season and is looking for his big payday. And away we go...

Will Dallas slap the franchise tag on Pickens to delay negotiations one more year? That’s the big question in Dallas right now. But another question that might be just as important in the offseason is this: What will the Cowboys do to improve a defense that was historically bad last season?

2025 recap

Many observers were underwhelmed last year when Jones hired Brian Schottenheimer to be his new head coach. And while last year’s 7-9-1 record was only a half-game improvement over Mike McCarthy’s final season in Dallas, Schottenheimer deserves credit for keeping his team together after a poor start and then the shocking suicide of defensive end Marshawn Kneeland. Schottenheimer rallied the team and they won three straight after Kneeland’s death to actually flirt with playoff contention. Dak Prescott passed for 4,552 yards and 30 touchdowns. Pickens — who set career marks with 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns — teamed with Lamb to form one of the NFL’s emite WR tandems.

But it wasn’t enough to offset a defense that was nothing without Parsons. The Cowboys lost four of their last five games and the defense finished the year ranked dead last in points allowed and 30th in yards allowed.

Key free agents

WR George Pickens
LB Kenneth Murray
DE Dante Fowler Jr.
G Robert Jones
LB Jadeveon Clowney
RB Javonte Williams
WR Jalen Tolbert
K Brandon Aubrey

Cowboys salary cap space

($29,168,257)

2026 draft needs

As of right now, Dallas needs to draft defense and more defense — but if the Cowboys let Pickens leave via free agency, then drafting a receiver does become another priority. The Cowboys have two first round picks — their own at No. 12 and No. 20, which they got from Green Bay in the Parsons deal — but they do not have any picks in the next two rounds because of the Williams and Pickens deals. If there are valuable defensive prospects they like, particularly at edge, they do have extra picks in the 2027 draft they can use to move up this year.

2026 opponents

Home:N.Y. Giants, Philadelphia, Washington, Arizona, Baltimore, Jacksonville, San Francisco, Tampa Bay, Tennessee

Away:N.Y. Giants, Philadelphia, Washington, Green Bay, Houston, Indianapolis, L.A. Rams, Seattle