Jeff Saturday Warns Cowboys About Handling Success In 2026

DALLAS — Success is the one thing that could derail the Dallas Cowboys this season, ESPN analyst Jeff Saturday said Tuesday morning on Get Up.

The show posted the segment to X at 8:28 a.m. CT, five days before Dallas opens the regular season at the New York Giants. The Cowboys went 7-9-1 and missed the playoffs for a second straight season in Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer‘s first year.

Saturday called rookie safety Caleb Downs “an absolute baller.”

“I like where this team is,” Saturday said. “This is the only issue I ever have with the Cowboys. Does success derail you, right? Because I think this team is right on. They have the pieces and parts. Can Dak keep everybody in house? Because we all know Dallas is different when they start winning.”

Across 17 starts last season, Dak Prescott threw for 4,552 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He was voted to the Pro Bowl and finished third in AP Comeback Player of the Year balloting. His contract runs through 2028.

On Sept. 1, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said on the “DLLS Cowboys” podcast that a new deal for Prescott had not come up, as Dallas Sports Journal reported.

Caleb Downs And The Dallas Cowboys’ Defensive Rebuild

In April, Dallas traded up one spot with the Miami Dolphins to take Downs 11th overall, sending picks Nos. 12, 177, and 180 to Miami. Edge rusher Malachi Lawrence went 23rd overall. Five of the Cowboys’ seven picks were defensive players.

Von Miller signed in free agency and will make his Dallas debut Sunday. Last season the Cowboys ranked last in the NFL in points allowed and third-worst in yards allowed.

At last November’s trade deadline, Dallas acquired defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets for a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 first-round pick. Williams had 1.5 sacks and 21 tackles in seven games with the Cowboys. Saturday said last season’s midseason acquisitions gave Dallas its pieces and parts on defense.

“Offensively, you love Dak Prescott, what they can do with CeeDee Lamb, Pickens,” Saturday explained.

George Pickens, CeeDee Lamb And The Contracts Ahead

George Pickens is playing this season on the franchise tag at $27.3 million. In his first year with Dallas after arriving in a trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pickens caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns, made the Pro Bowl, and was named second-team All-Pro.

CeeDee Lamb signed a four-year, $136 million extension in August 2024 that averages $34 million a season. Lamb caught 75 passes for 1,077 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games last season and missed three games with an ankle injury. Prescott and Lamb account for roughly $94 million a year in salary commitments.

Javonte Williams re-signed in February on a three-year, $24 million deal that carries $16 million guaranteed. He ran 252 carries for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns last season and added 35 catches for 137 yards and two scores.

Kickoff at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is set for 7:20 p.m. CT Sunday on NBC.