Dallas Cowboys: Answering Biggest Offseason Questions
With all 32 NFL teams preparing for OTAs and mandatory minicamps, Athlon Sports is going under the hood to see what key questions remain for each team before training camps open in July. These questions might not get answered at minicamps, but any opportunity for new coaches to get familiar with their roster, rookies to get a feel for life in the NFL and free agents to get comfortable with a new team can be helpful.
The focus today is on the Dallas Cowboys, who are 14-19-1 over the last two seasons and hoping to get back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2023 season. Of course, once the Cowboys do reach the postseason, they will be reminded that it's been 31 years since they've played in a conference title game.
Brian Schottenheimer goes into his second season as head coach with a bit of optimism. The offense remains as explosive as any in the NFL, and the defense … well, the defense can only get better. It can't get any worse, right?
Have the Cowboys done enough to improve their defense?
Dallas' defense was historically bad last season. The Cowboys allowed 377.0 yards per game (30th in the league) and 30.1 points per game (dead last). Much of the blame for that was attributed to the trading away of superstar linebacker Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, but the team's defensive shortcomings were very much a team effort.
The first step to fixing the problem was the firing of defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who was replaced by Christian Parker. For the last two seasons, Parker has been a defensive assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles under highly regarded coordinator Vic Fangio.
After signing free-agent defensive backs Jalen Thompson and Cobie Durant in the offseason, Dallas made even more defensive moves in the draft. Five of their seven picks were used on defense - including a pair of first-round picks in Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and UCF edge Malachi Lawrence. Getting Downs with the 11th overall pick could be a steal.
"Caleb Downs and Christian Parker are the biggest additions to [the Dallas Cowboys] this offseason." @PSchrags shares his thoughts on how Dallas' new additions can lead them to the Super Bowl pic.twitter.com/73ZatabNkG
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) May 5, 2026
With new faces at every level of the defense, the next mission for Parker and Schottenheimer will be identifying a leader - a player that will be wearing the green dot and calling plays for the unit.
"The biggest thing I wanna say about that is we're going to train so many people in the green dot, that we're going to find out who's comfortable doing it," said Schottenheimer. "It might be [linebacker DeMarvion Overshown]. It might be Jalen Thompson. It might be Dee Winters. It might be whoever.
"I think, at the end of the day, it comes down to communication for the entire defense. If we were playing a game this week, I couldn't tell you who's going to be the green dot. But we're not playing a game for a while. There will be trial and error. There will be different things, different packages of guys being together.
"I have my favorite of who I think will be the green dot, but I'm not going to share it."
What can we expect from George Pickens?
It wouldn't be the Cowboys if there wasn't some offseason drama concerning a star player's contract status. In 2026, it was wide receiver George Pickens taking center stage.
Pickens enjoyed a breakout season in 2025 after Dallas acquired him in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pickens had career highs with 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns - a perfect time to talk new contract.
Rather than negotiate a multiyear deal, however, Jerry Jones opted to use the franchise tag on Pickens. Some speculated that Pickens would not play under the tag, but he signed his tender on April 29, guaranteeing him $27.3 million this season. The Cincinnati Bengals, with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, have stood as the example that it's not easy building a competitive roster if you're paying two wide receivers a boatload of money. But the Cowboys, who have CeeDee Lamb going into the third year of his four-year, $136 million deal, insist they have no plans to trade Pickens or Lamb.
"We've been very upfront with George from the beginning about, 'Hey, we're going to play on the tag' and stuff," Schottenheimer said. " At the end of the day, we see George being a part of this football team and having a great [2026] and hopefully beyond."
Schottenheimer certainly doesn't see Pickens' 2025 season as a fluke.
"Where he can continue to go and grow is scary because what he did last year was amazing," the coach said. "And the more you watch the film, then you see it and you're just kind of like, 'Whoa.' It's just different. We've got a lot of really good football players, and he's certainly at the top of that list along with some of our other studs."
Are the Cowboys set at running back?
After four injury-plagued seasons with the Denver Broncos, Javonte Williams gave the Cowboys just what they needed in 2025. He had his first 1,000-yard season, rushing for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns, adding 35 receptions for 137 yards and two more scores. But what is the plan if Williams can't stay healthy? They did not address running back in free agency or the draft.
Backups Malik Davis and Jaydon Blue have 90 career rushing attempts between them. Blue, who was a fifth-round draft pick in 2025, generated some excitement in training camp last summer; he may get a closer look this summer.
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This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 4:30 AM.