Is there hope for Dallas in 2026?

The Giants might be the only road win Dallas comes away with in 2026.

Dallas plays at Houston, Indianapolis, the Rams, Seattle, Green Bay, Philadelphia, and Washington in 2026 and will probably lose all of them.

The Cowboys home losses will come against the 49ers, Jaguars, Ravens, Eagles, and Commanders.

That will put Dallas at 5-12 and likely put Brian Schottenheimer on the hot seat. But does that mean that 5-12 is also the Cowboys’ ceiling in 2026?

As Lee Corso would say: Not so fast my friend.

There Is Hope

Schottenheimer’s offense put up the fourth-most points in franchise history in 2025. The 471 points was a full 121 points more than the team scored in 2024.

The good news here is that, assuming they retain both George Pickens and Javonte Williams, the offense should be just as good in 2026.

If the Cowboys can improve their offensive line this offseason, they might be even better.

Possibly even good enough to threaten the franchise-best 530 points scored in 2021. That alone should move Dallas up from a 5-12 finish.

The Achilles Heel

The only thing that can hold the Cowboys back in 2026 is the same thing that held them back in 2025.

The Cowboys’ own defense.

In 2025, the defense yielded 511 points. That was 38 points more than the previous franchise high set in 2020.

In 2024, the defense gave up 468.

That means the Cowboys top three for most points allowed have been recorded in the last six seasons.

That’s a trend that can’t continue next year. Nor should it be allowed to continue for any length of time.

Dallas’ new defensive coordinator, Christian Parker, comes to the job needing to completely overhaul the unit.

That will start in March with free agency and continue into late April in the draft.

Aside from offensive tackle, the Cowboys’ focus for the next few months has to be on improving the defense. Anything less and the offense won’t be able to score enough points to win, just like last year.

What Is The Ceiling?

Could Dallas, assuming a huge improvement on defense, finish the 2026 season with a winning record?

The simple answer is yes.

There are games on the 2026 schedule that could switch from predicted losses to wins. Wins over Green Bay, Baltimore, and one each against the Eagles and Commanders are possible with a better defense.

That turns a 5-12 disaster into a respectable 9-8 season.

It could even be just good enough for a wildcard slot.

Turn one of the other Eagles or Commanders games into a win too and the Cowboys could be NFC East champions.