Our season probably hinges on these areas

[Bobhaze]

I believe the Cowboys have upgraded their roster and coaching staff this off-season in several areas. We’ve added much needed talent on defense, and added an innovative young Defensive Coordinator along with some new blood assistants to support him.

On paper this has been a decent off-season, certainly compared to recent years. The key will be translating what’s on paper to the field and the scoreboard.

IMO, the success of the 2026 season will hinge on four player positions along with the ability of our new DC to build a consistent defensive scheme, and our second year HC to build some team chemistry and culture.

THE FOUR POSITIONS

• LEFT TACKLE - arguably the second most important position on offense is LT. And our Cowboys desperately need 2024 first round pick Tyler Guyton to show us a lot more than he has his first two seasons. His physical talent is there but the commitment to being a consistent pro hasn’t. If Guyton can become more consistent, our offense can be special. If he can’t, he’s on bust watch and we have a big hole at LT.
• LINEBACKER - we’ve added some talent but the depth is paper thin. DeMarvion Overshown is a real talent but he hasn’t been healthy long for any season yet. The addition of Dee Winters is an upgrade, but after those two there are a ton of question marks. Third round pick Jaishawn Barham is talented but raw. And they are all in a new scheme. IMO this position needs some veteran presence.
• EDGE RUSHER - we’ve added a good player in Rashon Gary. He’s a good run stopper and an above average pass rusher. We drafted a talented young pass rusher in Malachi Lawrence. And 2nd year rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku emerged late last year. None of these guys are great pass rushers. We have to hope we can get a pass rush by committee.
• CORNER - some of the biggest question marks are at this position. Veteran Deron Bland has been really good at times but has also had two foot surgeries the last two years. We added a FA good corner in Cobie Durant on a 1 yr cheap deal. And 2nd year Shavon Revel must show he can be healthy enough to play well. This position may also need a late addition veteran.

COACHING

• NEW DC CHRIS PARKER - our new DC appears to be just what the Dr ordered. He’s bringing a much better scheme and has a great rapport with the players. But he’s also 34, and has yet to call a play as a DC. He may need some time to grow and learn.
• HC BRIAN SCHOTTENHEIMER- his second year as HC needs to be a breakout. His first year he showed some offensive chops but he was handed a terrible defensive roster and DC. IMO he needs to lay off the cheesy “Bro Language” he throws out and prove he is a cohesive leader of men.

I’m excited to see what this team will be. The 2024 and 2025 seasons gave us a 14-19-1 record with no playoffs. This team’s talent has certainly been upgraded and hope is real. But as the saying goes, “Hope is not a strategy”.

We are just six weeks away from real football and finding out what this team really is. Can’t wait.

 

[fivetwos]

-Left tackle is the top concern, no doubt.

-Not worried about LB unless there’s a ton of injuries, and from what I understand, they will be using only two in most sets.

-Overall, I’m a bit concerned that they may have gotten a bit complacent on offense while trying to fix such an awful defense. This offense was far from perfect and if Guyton hasn’t improved, he is capable of bringing the entire thing down.

They need another playmaker somewhere. That could easily be Blue, or maybe Trigg emerges, or Turpins role could expand (not recommended lol) but I do think they need someone else to step up and be a threat beyond CD and GP.

 

[Bobhaze]

-Left tackle is the top concern, no doubt.

-Not worried about LB unless there’s a ton of injuries, and from what I understand, they will be using only two in most sets.

-Overall, I’m a bit concerned that they may have gotten a bit complacent on offense while trying to fix such an awful defense. This offense was far from perfect and if Guyton hasn’t improved, he is capable of bringing the entire thing down.

They need another playmaker somewhere. That could easily be Blue, or maybe Trigg emerges, or Turpins role could expand (not recommended lol) but I do think they need someone else to step up and be a threat beyond CD and GP.

I agree with you about somewhat neglecting the upgrade of the offense. At RB, Javonte Williams is a stud. But the depth behind him is a real concern.

And as I mentioned in the OP, the LT position is a huge question mark.

 

[lopey]

Bob as always great analysis. I agree with all of it. One question I bring up is QB. If Dak goes down for significant time we are in trouble.

 

[thunderpimp91]

Pretty fair summary Bob. Personally I think the Christian Parker piece is a question mark mostly flying under the radar when it shouldn't be. I think nearly everyone is on board with the addition, myself included, but there is some real danger in having a rookie coordinator....especially one that is doing such a major overhaul.

Often times guys like Parker are getting promoted with their current team into a role with a good chunk of the roster/scheme already in place, or have a HC that specializes on that side of the football who can really give quality support, such as the McCarthy/Moore combo. Kellen Moore is probably a good example of where expectations should probably be....when he was here the overall numbers were really good, but we saw some struggles with situational play calling and getting away from certain concepts too quickly.

I think just as a young player who needs live regular season game snaps to get to the best version of themselves, it should probably be anticipated that your coordinators are going to have their ups and downs as well thoughout the year. If this defense ends up being a legit top 10 type of unit CP deserves a massive amount of kudos.

 

[Bobhaze]

Pretty fair summary Bob. Personally I think the Christian Parker piece is a question mark mostly flying under the radar when it shouldn't be. I think nearly everyone is on board with the addition, myself included, but there is some real danger in having a rookie coordinator....especially one that is doing such a major overhaul.

Often times guys like Parker are getting promoted with their current team into a role with a good chunk of the roster/scheme already in place, or have a HC that specializes on that side of the football who can really give quality support, such as the McCarthy/Moore combo. Kellen Moore is probably a good example of where expectations should probably be....when he was here the overall numbers were really good, but we saw some struggles with situational play calling and getting away from certain concepts too quickly.

I think just as a young player who needs live regular season game snaps to get to the best version of themselves, it should probably be anticipated that your coordinators are going to have their ups and downs as well thoughout the year. If this defense ends up being a legit top 10 type of unit CP deserves a massive amount of kudos.

Excellent points. I think we as Cowboys are so starved for some good news on defense, when we hired CP, the immediate reaction from fans was a little over the top.

Not to say I’m not glad Parker is here. I think he’s a great addition. But just walking in as a rookie DC at aged 34 with this defense and making it an instant success is a tall order.

Bob as always great analysis. I agree with all of it. One question I bring up is QB. If Dak goes down for significant time we are in trouble.

No doubt. If Dak goes down for more than a game or two, the season probably goes with it. Another reason why having a solid LT is so important.

 

[thunderpimp91]

Bob as always great analysis. I agree with all of it. One question I bring up is QB. If Dak goes down for significant time we are in trouble.

You could say that about nearly any team in football though. Honestly this is the best i've felt about the backup QB position in years. Sam Howell was a turnover machine in Washington, but has a couple more years of experience and is on a much better team now. He has an arm good enough to work with these elite WRs of the Cowboys and could absolutely be a 4000+ yard passer if Dak went down tomorrow.

Plus while I've soured on him a bit, Joe Milton still has the super toolsy upside if he can put the rest of his game together.

Its for sure a downgrade if you lose Dak, but this offenes has enough talent where you still have a bit of a punchers chance IMO.

 

[fivetwos]

I agree with you about somewhat neglecting the upgrade of the offense. At RB, Javonte Williams is a stud. But the depth behind him is a real concern.

And as I mentioned in the OP, the LT position is a huge question mark.

I think the season is going to come down to the decision to count on Guyton, presumably because of the investment.

I can’t forget something Nate Newton said around the time they had Columbo, Gurode, Free….those guys. One weak link can take down the whole thing even if the other four are solid. They were starting someone who was awful at the time. Think it was Cory Proctor and he was killing them. He was only a guard.

That concerns me, and it would be just like them to double down on a player like this and blow up a season because of it. They need to bring in a veteran swing in the worst way, but they may not see it that way….then again I don’t see it as impossible that the light has finally gone on for Guyton. We know the effort was there, so if he is still shaky this year, we have our answer.

 

[fivetwos]

Pretty fair summary Bob. Personally I think the Christian Parker piece is a question mark mostly flying under the radar when it shouldn't be. I think nearly everyone is on board with the addition, myself included, but there is some real danger in having a rookie coordinator....especially one that is doing such a major overhaul.

Often times guys like Parker are getting promoted with their current team into a role with a good chunk of the roster/scheme already in place, or have a HC that specializes on that side of the football who can really give quality support, such as the McCarthy/Moore combo. Kellen Moore is probably a good example of where expectations should probably be....when he was here the overall numbers were really good, but we saw some struggles with situational play calling and getting away from certain concepts too quickly.

I think just as a young player who needs live regular season game snaps to get to the best version of themselves, it should probably be anticipated that your coordinators are going to have their ups and downs as well thoughout the year. If this defense ends up being a legit top 10 type of unit CP deserves a massive amount of kudos.

I was listening to local sports radio about a week ago. Tiki Barber said “as a first year coordinator, you have no idea what you are doing.”

That sent me to think about CP and it stuck.

Then I realized that he has Caleb. Problem solved.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

It’s gonna come down to Dak IMO. The QB position.

Sounds like a given answer but I don’t expect anything from young players or rookies. Downs is a given. But I think Steele and Guyton are what they are. In order for this team to go where it needs to go Dak has to make up for any issues we have. Dak has to be able to deal with having Steele and Guyton. It’s what he has.

The defense….i think they will be better. I’m
Thinking fringe top 20 defense. First time coordinator and these core guys 3rd DC in just as many years…for some guys it’s their 4th….if he can get them top 20 that’s a miracle based on what I saw last year.


I’d love for Dak to be able to manage and a run an offense where he is driving the bus but that’s not what’s presented to us.

 

[Bobhaze]

I think the season is going to come down to the decision to count on Guyton, presumably because of the investment.

I can’t forget something Nate Newton said around the time they had Columbo, Gurode, Free….those guys. One weak link can take down the whole thing even if the other four are solid. They were starting someone who was awful at the time. Think it was Cory Proctor and he was killing them. He was only a guard.

That concerns me, and it would be just like them to double down on a player like this and blow up a season because of it. They need to bring in a veteran swing in the worst way, but they may not see it that way….then again I don’t see it as impossible that the light has finally gone on for Guyton. We know the effort was there, so if he is still shaky this year, we have our answer.

Great point.

I think the fundamental problem with this FO’s roster construction is they build it with “best case scenario” thinking. They assume everyone is going to work out just fine.

The best GMs don’t think that way. They look at worst case scenarios and prepare accordingly.

 

[Rockport]

Bob as always great analysis. I agree with all of it. One question I bring up is QB. If Dak goes down for significant time we are in trouble.

According to the board he’s the worst QB in the NFL so if he goes down we’re going to the SB.

 

[Redsfan_83]

According to the board he’s the worst QB in the NFL so if he goes down we’re going to the SB.

Can you show some proof of 1 person stating this as fact? Your hate for civilization even shows up worse on weekends. Good morning, Rockport, you miserable thing

 

[fivetwos]

You could say that about nearly any team in football though. Honestly this is the best i've felt about the backup QB position in years. Sam Howell was a turnover machine in Washington, but has a couple more years of experience and is on a much better team now. He has an arm good enough to work with these elite WRs of the Cowboys and could absolutely be a 4000+ yard passer if Dak went down tomorrow.

Plus while I've soured on him a bit, Joe Milton still has the super toolsy upside if he can put the rest of his game together.

Its for sure a downgrade if you lose Dak, but this offenes has enough talent where you still have a bit of a punchers chance IMO.

It’s a given that if Prescott goes down it’s all over. 2020 and 2024 are perfect examples.

I never understood having Milton as a two when you’re claiming you want to win. He is every bit of a developmental guy that has no place here at this time. If your starter goes down for like four games, you need to hold serve, but that’s difficult to do in that case. Same with Lance. Only way he was ever getting the reps he needed was if Dak got hurt, which he did, and they still didn’t play him,

I don’t really get ithe plan (probably because there wasn’t one), but these type of moves are probably about when Jerry feels like playing with his toy. Seems as if whenever that urge strikes, we are suddenly down a fourth round pick.

 

[fivetwos]

Great point.

I think the fundamental problem with this FO’s roster construction is they build it with “best case scenario” thinking. They assume everyone is going to work out just fine.

The best GMs don’t think that way. They look at worst case scenarios and prepare accordingly.

Yes, misevaluation erring on the side of severe optimism.

Fans can “hope” for those things. GMs cannot operate that way, but then again, our GMs are fans with a huge financial interest.

 

[pitt33]

According to the board he’s the worst QB in the NFL so if he goes down we’re going to the SB.

Rock..not one person on this forum has stated that.