I'm excited about this season

[RustyBourneHorse]

Be more excited if they're consistent throughout the season

Oh for sure, but I'm just glad I can actually be looking forward to the season.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Exactly, and it's nice to see us make smart decisions, and have a free agency that wasn't expensive but was logical and made sense.

I think that’s it. I would’ve signed different guys then they did but I at least understand the guys they did sign. Last year they sold us Kenneth Murray and Sanborn and Elam….

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

I think that’s it. I would’ve signed different guys then they did but I at least understand the guys they did sign. Last year they sold us Kenneth Murray and Sanborn and Elam….

Honestly, I like a lot of the signings from this year. Like I said, I liked Locke. I like the fact that we have players that Parker wants. It's good we've got some players that know Parker's system that were brought in.

 

[rambo2]

I'll also say this. I love the infusion of the veteran player acquisitions such as Locke (who I pounded the table for pre-FA), Thompson, and Gary (among others). I think these acquisitions should be very helpful for our rookies. They'll be able to help the other new players adjust. I think that's especially the case with Locke and Gary since they have history with Parker.

I think Parker has done an excellent job of picking players for his defense.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

I think Parker has done an excellent job of picking players for his defense.

And assistants imo

 

[thunderpimp91]

I'm both excited and not excited just depending on the context of the conversation and where expecations are. It really feels like a step forward for the Cowboys this year, and I'm excited about a real opportunity to get back to the playoffs.....I'm just skeptical that they've done enough to make any serious noise in the post season.

Where I become pessimistic is simply that I hate having that 1 year away feeling when your QB is entering his mid 30s. I wish they'd have a couple true all in years and worry about the 2028 cap down the road.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Honestly, I like a lot of the signings from this year. Like I said, I liked Locke. I like the fact that we have players that Parker wants. It's good we've got some players that know Parker's system that were brought in.

I think for me I wanted someone better than Gary. They sold it as our prized edge rusher acquisition and going from hearing names like Greenard, Hendrickson and Crosby….kind of left me deflated. But I’m hoping Gary needed a change of scenery and familiarity with his coach to get back on the saddle. I also would’ve signed a linebacker but all in all I can get behind what they did.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

I'm both excited and not excited just depending on the context of the conversation and where expecations are. It really feels like a step forward for the Cowboys this year, and I'm excited about a real opportunity to get back to the playoffs.....I'm just skeptical that they've done enough to make any serious noise in the post season.

Where I become pessimistic is simply that I hate having that 1 year away feeling when your QB is entering his mid 30s. I wish they'd have a couple true all in years and worry about the 2028 cap down the road.

Just curious is the one year away feeling because of the defense or the DC being a DC for the first time?

 

[zrinkill]

Yeah I’m still in shock. Even going up to get Downs then getting 2 4ths back….type of forward thinking I don’t see from this team and don’t believe it’s Jerry or Stephen.

My concern is how long they will listen, to whoever it is, before they start feeling ignored again and want to remind everyone who is in charge.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

I think for me I wanted someone better than Gary. They sold it as our prized edge rusher acquisition and going from hearing names like Greenard, Hendrickson and Crosby….kind of left me deflated. But I’m hoping Gary needed a change of scenery and familiarity with his coach to get back on the saddle. I also would’ve signed a linebacker but all in all I can get behind what they did.

That's fair. However, from what I learned, it sounds like he has history with Parker. Also, he and Clark apparently were a good tag team. So, for me that's where it makes sense. I would have also like Hendrickson, but, to me, Gary is more of a "not bad" type thing, you know?

 

[CT Dal Fan]

I know they don't play games on paper, but looking at this roster I see a team that is leaps and bounds better than what the Cowboys sent out there last season.

A year ago I talked myself into liking the additions they made. This year I didn't need convincing, they added some real talent for a change.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

I'm both excited and not excited just depending on the context of the conversation and where expecations are. It really feels like a step forward for the Cowboys this year, and I'm excited about a real opportunity to get back to the playoffs.....I'm just skeptical that they've done enough to make any serious noise in the post season.

Where I become pessimistic is simply that I hate having that 1 year away feeling when your QB is entering his mid 30s. I wish they'd have a couple true all in years and worry about the 2028 cap down the road.

Honestly, I wish we had built the defence this way earlier in his career. I wish we had this instead of what we had during the Marinelli era.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

I know they don't play games on paper, but looking at this roster I see a team that is leaps and bounds better than what the Cowboys sent out there last season.

A year ago I talked myself into liking the additions they made. This year I didn't need convincing, they added some real talent for a change.

Exactly, and for me, that's the difference that's night and day for me. On paper, the defence looked like a disaster last year imo. This year, it looks, on the paper eye test, drastically better. Now, they will need to gel, but I like where they're going with this.

 

[CT Dal Fan]

That's fair. However, from what I learned, it sounds like he has history with Parker. Also, he and Clark apparently were a good tag team. So, for me that's where it makes sense. I would have also like Hendrickson, but, to me, Gary is more of a "not bad" type thing, you know?

If Ezeiruaku takes the next step and Lawrence is what the Cowboys hope, they and Gary should provide all the edge rush the Cowboys want.

 

[thunderpimp91]

Just curious is the one year away feeling because of the defense or the DC being a DC for the first time?

Both. Big fan of the Parker hire, but its also kinda Kellen Mooreish to me where we should expect some situational growing pains with him. I'd feel a lot better if the big non draft acquisitions were stronger that Winters and Gary. A lot of people love those acquistions, but I think we could have set our sights higher and had a real chance of making this a top 10ish unit instead of the top 20 unit people are talking about. To me both moves are solid and make the team better, but I think they are pretty marginal upgrades and neither gets me excited.

I also think it's lot to ask of the offense to just automatically be a top 3 top of unit once again. With no true upgrades on that side of the football I could see some regression on that side of the football as the defense takes a step forward. I think this is a league where either you get better or you get worse, and constantly need to evolve....rarely does a team stay stagnant on either side of the football. As the year went on in 2025 the offense was still really good, but performed more like a top 10 unit than a top 5 IMO which could be more reflective of their collective talent level.

Overall its a long winded answer to say that I like the offseason, but wish they had been a bit more aggressive early on.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

That's fair. However, from what I learned, it sounds like he has history with Parker. Also, he and Clark apparently were a good tag team. So, for me that's where it makes sense. I would have also like Hendrickson, but, to me, Gary is more of a "not bad" type thing, you know?

Yeah I’m not complaining. Gary is young enough for me to want to take a shot.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

If Ezeiruaku takes the next step and Lawrence is what the Cowboys hope, they and Gary should provide all the edge rush the Cowboys want.

I agree, and I like that, from what I've read, Lawrence is supposedly also good at helping stop the run. Plus, with the beef we are supposed to have up front, Eze and Lawrence should be able to be what we hope since they should get a fair amount of favourable matchups. I suppose what I like most is that we have a lot of 300+ dlineman who are physical. To me, kinda like how Philly's dline has been, you can't double all 3 dlineman (in the 3-4). So, someone is going to get an advantageous matchup if not better. If that's the case, they should win their matchups. Plus, if they get at the QB enough, they don't have to sack the QB perse. I think that them getting enough heat on the QB should allow Bland to get picks and probably pick 6s.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

Yeah I’m not complaining. Gary is young enough for me to want to take a shot.

Same here, and he is physical, which I like. So, between Clark and Williams, we should be dangerous. Also, I forgot about Ogbonnia. I think he's going to be an unsung FA signing we got. Could you imagine if we have Clark, Williams, and Ogbonnia up front at the same time? Parker certainly has a lot of options.

 

[Bullflop]

It's always a pleasure for me to see a knowledgeable fan like yourself having a pleasant outlook about the upcoming season. My main concern that hinders my optimistic view is the considerable number of changes that are likely to be implemented in the defense and the new staff to accompany them.

Of course, that's always a factor with each and every new season to come along with this team. Here's hoping they'll get off to a successful introduction into this defense that we're all pulling for to succeed. The 2026 version of our re-established defense will be exciting to behold, nevertheless. I'm hopeful.

 

[Whirlwin]

For the first time in nearly 3 years, I can say that I'm excited about this season. I'm excited about the Dallas Cowboys 2026 season.

I'm going to start by going out on a limb.....which is probably stupid with me being a horse... I think if the Dallas Cowboys can stay healthy, I think the Dallas Cowboys can contend in 2026. Not just for the division. I think the Cowboys can contend for a SB. I'm NOT saying we will win it. I'm NOT saying it's our year. But I am saying that I think, if the Dallas Cowboys can stay healthy, the team is built with the potential to contend for it all.

Firstly, our offense was solid last year. If we can get our red zone offense better, this offense should be even better. I love the Shelton pick, and I think that Shelton allows us to improve RT. I think we should be able to run the ball better in the red zone. If we can do that, this offense should be even deadlier.

Secondly, obviously, we have Aubrey back. Hopefully he returns to form, because, if he returns to automatic form, I think the results speak for themselves.

Finally, and most importantly, I love, on paper, how much the front office has improved our defence. I was annoyed with them the last two offseasons and was very clear about that. This year, I'm delighted with the moves that have been made. Firstly, I made it clear earlier in the offseason that I like the hire of Parker. I think he's going to be a great DC for us. I love that he's actually been allowed to exert his influence already, and I like the moves that have been made.

Firstly, I think more of a 3-4 base will suit the Cowboys much better. I love that we actually seem to have a plan for the picks and signings that were made. Usually, it seems we're just signing players because they're cheap and winging it. This year, it seems there's an actual plan in place. I can get behind moves when there's a clear plan, and the moves seem logical.

As for our dline, I love the move for Gary. I liked the trade last season for Quinnen Williams. I like the draft picks of Lawrence and Overton. I think they're going to be excellent edge rushers for us in our 3-4 base. I like that we seem like we're going to incorporate a much more physical dline this year. It makes sense, especially since Parker came from Philly. With a much more physical dline, our linebackers and dbs jobs become much easier. Players like Daron Bland should have MUCH better seasons. I think Bland should be able to get back to being an interception magnet because QBs should have a much more difficult time throwing the ball. I also like that the dline looks much more capable of run stopping too with how physical they are. Look how big our dline is. Just for starters, we should have Gary, Clark, and Williams. There aren't enough olinemen to double all of them. Then you factor on the outsides Eze (who will probably be an OLB)/Houston and Lawrence? My goodness!!! That should be fun on the outside!!!

Then let's look at LB! Firstly, the trade up for our DB that I'll get more into along with the trade back to get Lawrence? Brilliant moves by Jerry! Even if you don't like Jerry, that was BRILLIANT! One of the reasons? It allowed us to flip a 5 for Dee Winters. Already out linebacker position looks much better. But then they didn't stop there. We then got Barham? I know we've had issues with Michigan players (aside from Jourdan Lewis), but from what I saw of Barham? He's an absolute beast! His motor is incredible. I think he, Winters, and Overshown are going to be LETHAL! Heck, even for OLB, you'd be looking at probably Barham and probably Eze at OLB in a 3-4? Already that's a MUCH better LB group than we've had for YEARS!! Not only is our dline looking much better, but our linebackers look much better. I love how physical Barham is. It's about time we have a LB with the ability to hit hard. I think we are going to be MUCH harder to run against. That should create a lot more passing situations. That's where the pass rush comes in, but that's also not even the best part of this offseason yet! It's a great part, but there's more beyond what should be a MUCH better front 7.

DBs - this....this might be an elite unit now....firstly, Parker's skillset is particularly with DBs. Firstly, I don't think Bland is as bad as people say. In 2023 when we had the ability to rush the QB, he set the record for pick 6s in one season. I think, with the front 7 we have and Parker, I think he has the ability to be a ball hawk again. I think Revel has the capability to be a solid CB, but I also love the signing of Cobie Durant. He was very good with the Rams. But that's not all, because the Cowboys then signed Locke and Thompson. That's a nice set of veteran safeties. But then, in the draft, we got Downs!!!! Wow!!!! He might have been the best player in the draft and we got him!! He's an absolute monster, and if he stays healthy for us, our safeties should be better than they've been since...well....I don't know because I'm 33. Downs being coached by Parker? That should be awesome!! But then, for the cherry on top, we got Moore in the draft. I understand his injury history, but, 1. Florida's training staff was an absolute mess and 2. We only used the 114th on him. Also, when healthy, he was a unit for Florida.

All of a sudden, the difference between the players on defence we have now compared to the last 2 years or so? It's night and day on paper. I know they actually have to play the games, but the team looks SO much better than it has in years! And as a result? I'm excited for the season. The big key now? The team needs to stay healthy. If the Cowboys can stay healthy, I love how we look.

Don’t you just love the enthusiasm