Your biggest reason for optimism

[Nova]

Why I'm optimistic:

We made the right call on Micah Parsons: Past us would have overpaid Micah and been saddled with his contract and diminishing athleticism. Instead, we moved on, leveraging the resources gained to replenish the ranks including...

The trade for Quinnen Williams:
We now have a premier Defensive Tackle for the first time since Glover. (Yes I'm aware Ratliff was really good for 2-3 years). But unlike the Glover years, we actually have an offense on the other side of the field.

Caleb Downs falling to us.
Then the pure luck of having a blue chip safety prospect finally fall to us in the draft. I wanted Berry. I wanted Earl Thomas. I wanted Derwin, Hamilton, and yes I wanted Jamal Adams but let's not talk about that. We've had good players fall to us, but never the safety position to anchor our secondary. It's the most underrated position in football as good safety play had been an under the radar pre-requisite for deep post season runs for years.

All in all, I've seen us fail almost the same way every year during the Romo/Dak eras. We could still fail, but at least it will be different.

 

[rambo2]

Just prior to the start of training camp, I wanted to talk about the general feeling of optimism for this upcoming season (or not if you’re feeling pessimistic).

I honestly feel more optimistic about this team than I have in several years.

I think they’re really capable of competing for a Championship this year.
My own biggest reason for being optimistic is mainly the defense.

In Year One under Schottenheimer, the Cowboys offense was playoff caliber. It wasn’t perfect, but it was right there among the best. And all starters are returning, so I feel good about that side of the ball.

But the 2025 defense was an absolute disaster. And there’s nowhere to go but up. And I feel they’ve improved a great deal in personnel.

But I’m most impressed with the coaching staff they’ve been able to put together.

Consider the pedigree of these coaches:

• Christian Parker - he’s coached several of the best defensive backs in the entire league. In 2025, his Eagles secondary ranked 8th in passing defense (189.8 ypg) and 5th in scoring defense (19.1 ppg) and allowed the fewest passing touchdowns in the league.
• Derrick Ansley - In 2025, his Packers pass defense ranked 11th in the NFL, giving up 194.1 yards per game.
• Marcus Dixon - In 2025, the Vikings defensive unit ranked 2nd in passing yards allowed (158.5 ypg). Dixon has had a significant impact on both the defensive linemen as well as the linebackers in his defense.
• Brandon "BT" Jordan - served as a pass rush specialist for the Denver Broncos, where he helped coach a unit that ranked 1st in the NFL in total sacks.

The proven track record of this staff is what gives the most confidence going into this season.

I like the new young coaches and the new young players. I think it is a good thing that the coaches picked their assistants.

 

[fivetwos]

Why I'm optimistic:

We made the right call on Micah Parsons: Past us would have overpaid Micah and been saddled with his contract and diminishing athleticism. Instead, we moved on, leveraging the resources gained to replenish the ranks including...

The trade for Quinnen Williams:
We now have a premier Defensive Tackle for the first time since Glover. (Yes I'm aware Ratliff was really good for 2-3 years). But unlike the Glover years, we actually have an offense on the other side of the field.

Caleb Downs falling to us.
Then the pure luck of having a blue chip safety prospect finally fall to us in the draft. I wanted Berry. I wanted Earl Thomas. I wanted Derwin, Hamilton, and yes I wanted Jamal Adams but let's not talk about that. We've had good players fall to us, but never the safety position to anchor our secondary. It's the most underrated position in football as good safety play had been an under the radar pre-requisite for deep post season runs for years.

All in all, I've seen us fail almost the same way every year during the Romo/Dak eras. We could still fail, but at least it will be different.

Outstanding post.

 

[Arkyvarminter]

Im thinking If key players stay healthy we'll be a dangerous team....

 

[rambo2]

Well said.
I can't get past #4 winning 4 consecutive playoff games against 4 playoff level defenses and coaches.

And equal to that is for these 2 bookend passblockers to even hold up well enough for the full season just to reach the playoffs.

Yep, no matter how hard I shut or squint my eyes, I can't seem to see past these 2 realities.

If the defense plays well, he can win.

 

[LonnieElam]

Not only that, but it seems that when the offense is good and the defense is bad, the team stinks. Then the following year, hopefully not this year, but when the defense rises to the occasion, the offense stinks to high heaven! Happens all the time. And like the coogie always says, "And you never seen anything like it". lol

Yep. I wouldn't be shocked if the offense struggles this season.

 

[acr731]

If the defense plays well, he can win.

So Dak isn't required to do better, just the defense?

Sounds like you're relieving Dak of any blame in the 5 playoff losses he was a part of.

 

[LonnieElam]

So Dak isn't required to do better, just the defense?

Sounds like you're relieving Dak of any blame in the 5 playoff losses he was a part of.

To be fair, he was the least of our problems last season, but your point is beyond valid.

 

[Kwyn]

Just prior to the start of training camp, I wanted to talk about the general feeling of optimism for this upcoming season (or not if you’re feeling pessimistic).

I honestly feel more optimistic about this team than I have in several years.

I think they’re really capable of competing for a Championship this year.
My own biggest reason for being optimistic is mainly the defense.

In Year One under Schottenheimer, the Cowboys offense was playoff caliber. It wasn’t perfect, but it was right there among the best. And all starters are returning, so I feel good about that side of the ball.

But the 2025 defense was an absolute disaster. And there’s nowhere to go but up. And I feel they’ve improved a great deal in personnel.

But I’m most impressed with the coaching staff they’ve been able to put together.

Consider the pedigree of these coaches:

• Christian Parker - he’s coached several of the best defensive backs in the entire league. In 2025, his Eagles secondary ranked 8th in passing defense (189.8 ypg) and 5th in scoring defense (19.1 ppg) and allowed the fewest passing touchdowns in the league.
• Derrick Ansley - In 2025, his Packers pass defense ranked 11th in the NFL, giving up 194.1 yards per game.
• Marcus Dixon - In 2025, the Vikings defensive unit ranked 2nd in passing yards allowed (158.5 ypg). Dixon has had a significant impact on both the defensive linemen as well as the linebackers in his defense.
• Brandon "BT" Jordan - served as a pass rush specialist for the Denver Broncos, where he helped coach a unit that ranked 1st in the NFL in total sacks.

The proven track record of this staff is what gives the most confidence going into this season.

Right there with you. I feel better about this staff than any in recent memory.

We actually resemble a modern coaching staff instead of a room full of guys with their best days behind them

I’m still pessimistic about the talent. The defense is still at least a year away. The talent was jsut terrible.

 

[rambo2]

So Dak isn't required to do better, just the defense?

Sounds like you're relieving Dak of any blame in the 5 playoff losses he was a part of.

Sounds like you deny that Dak is a good qb. He is better than many Super Bowl winners.

 

[StarOfGlory]

Optimistic here. A playoff-caliber offense returns all starters. No need to hype the offense, we know it's explosive.

On defense, naysayers may look at Parker and say that he had two 1st team AP's in the defensive backfield in Philly. But he ae also had to scheme for one of the worst cover corners in the league (Adoree Jackson) and deal with recurring injuries at safety. I believe this defensive coaching staff to be considerable superior then what we had last year.

 

[Ironicalicon]

My biggest reason for optimism is that it doesn't seem to be "business as usual" — at least not entirely.

Completely new Defense — coaches, scheme, and all but about a handful players. They were aggressive during the draft to make moves and even signed a couple notable free agents.

 

[acr731]

Sounds like you deny that Dak is a good qb. He is better than many Super Bowl winners.

I think Dak will go down as one of, if not the only QB in NFL history to have never been required to earn his ridiculous salary.

Take that any way you want, but Dak has never been forced to earn his pay. And I'm still waiting for him to do just that.

 

[Stash]

Right there with you. I feel better about this staff than any in recent memory.

We actually resemble a modern coaching staff instead of a room full of guys with their best days behind them

I’m still pessimistic about the talent. The defense is still at least a year away. The talent was jsut terrible.

I’m convinced that the awful staff made everyone worse. Even players who had played decently in the past looked like hot garbage. When that’s across the board, that’s systemic.

 

[shabazz]

2027 be thy name......but it still doesn't mean its not gonna be fun in the meantime

 

[JoeKing]

This is our year! It's just that time of year. The possibility makes me feel good.

 

[StarBoyz83]

This is our year! It's just that time of year. The possibility makes me feel good.

Lol

 

[rambo2]

I think Dak will go down as one of, if not the only QB in NFL history to have never been required to earn his ridiculous salary.

Take that any way you want, but Dak has never been forced to earn his pay. And I'm still waiting for him to do just that.

The point is that Dak certainly can win a championship with a good defense. He is certainly better than many qbs that have won in the past.

 

[plasticman]

The Cowboys offensive starting unit is completely intact from last year. That is a phenomenal advantage.

This will be especially true for the O-line. They will play more like a complete unit, in sync and cohesive.

The familiarity that each player has with their offensive teammates will be a key factor in their ability to score more often in the redzone.

The Cowboys also kept some key backups.

With a reasonable level of health, this offense could be prolific enough to compensate for an average defense.

 

[BoyzBlaster]

Jerry and Dak are 1 year older

Bingo.