The Cowboys Have Talent. Now They Need Results

The more significant changes have come defensively. Dallas entered the offseason needing to address a unit that surrendered 511 points last year, the most in the NFL. The Cowboys changed defensive coordinators again, turning to Christian Parker, while adding talent around established defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.

Rashan Gary and Von Miller add veteran pass-rushing options, while first-round safety Caleb Downs gives the secondary one of the most intriguing rookies in football. On paper, this looks like a better and deeper roster than the one that won seven games last season.

Dallas Is Running Out of Excuses

Talent hasn’t really been the defining problem in Dallas.

The Cowboys have produced winning teams, Pro Bowl players and stretches of excellent regular-season football throughout much of the past three decades. What they haven’t produced is sustained postseason success. Their last playoff victory came following the 2022 season. Their last appearance in an NFC Championship game came when Prescott was two years old.

Eventually, the conversation has to move beyond potential.

Prescott is an established veteran quarterback. Lamb and Pickens give him two dangerous receiving options. The Cowboys have invested heavily in fixing a defence that was their biggest weakness last season. Even the NFC East offers some reason for optimism. Dallas’ 4-2 divisional record in 2025 was actually better than Philadelphia’s 3-3 mark, even though the Eagles ultimately finished four games ahead of the Cowboys and won the division. That suggests Dallas wasn’t completely overwhelmed by its closest competition. The problem was producing that level of football consistently.

The Cowboys Need to Win Now

There will always be pressure in Dallas. That’s part of playing for the Cowboys, particularly with Jerry Jones still serving as both owner and general manager. But 2026 shouldn’t be treated as another developmental season. Schottenheimer has a year of head-coaching experience. Prescott has legitimate weapons. The defence has been reworked, and Dallas appears to have emerged from training camp without the kind of major distraction that can dominate an entire Cowboys offseason.

The roster looks good enough. Now comes the difficult part: proving it.

Dallas hasn’t reached the NFC Championship game in more than 30 years. At some point, a franchise with this much talent, money and attention has to stop selling the possibility of contention and actually contend.

If the Cowboys miss the playoffs again in 2026, how much longer can Dallas continue blaming anything other than the organization itself?

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