With the 2026 NFL regular season fast approaching, it’s time to get bold. Everyone has their own takes these days, but there’s only so many times you can hear someone say the Bears’ offense will be elite or the Rams are winning the Super Bowl before the hot takes cool to a more lukewarm state.
To give you the spice you’re looking for, here are some bold predictions for America’s Team – Cowboys fans will want to strap in for this one.
Bold predictions for the Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys were underwhelming last year compared to the ever-high expectations the franchise holds in the eyes of the public. A 7-10 finish came as a result of a historically bad defense that was so poor, even a truly elite offense couldn’t overcome the circumstances to get above .500. Looking ahead to 2026, though, there’s hope aplenty in Dallas.
Everything hinges on the defense. Just ignore how bad the unit was on the full season for a moment, instead focusing on the improvement that was seen after the front office traded for All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams in early November. Prior to that trade, the Cowboys allowed an average of 143.0 rushing yards per game to opponents, fourth most of any team. In seven games with him after the transaction, that number dropped to 99.1 rushing yards allowed per contest.
What that means is that there was a noticeable improvement for the Cowboys’ run-stopping ability after acquiring Williams, who himself secured a massive three-year, $105.9 million extension in August. While the unit as a whole continued to struggle with over 28 PPG allowed, that was largely due to a depleted secondary. Now, Dallas has further shored up both the front seven and the back end heading into the 2026 campaign.
The team completely overhauled the defense over the last few months. In the front seven, the addition of Rashan Gary brings a proven playmaker to complement DeMarvion Overshown, who stood out once he got healthy last year in the middle. Dee Winters was signed as a free agent to further shore up the linebacking corps, while Von Miller also signed to play a role off the edge as a pass rusher. The team also selected Malachi Lawrence in the first round back in April – the EDGE was perhaps the most impressive physical talent at his position in the draft with a 9.90 RAS evaluation that ranked 22nd out of 2,046 players since 1987.
The secondary also received plenty of new faces. The headliner, Caleb Downs, was picked No. 11 overall out of Ohio State. A multi-time All-American, his feel for the field and football IQ have received rave reviews throughout the offseason program. Dallas also added safeties Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke, plus cornerback Cobie Durant in free agency. With better health from DaRon Bland, there’s an obvious path to a much better season from the pass defense as well.
The pieces of the puzzle are all on the table – it’s simply up to new defensive coordinator Christian Parker to assemble them. From the sound of things, he appears up to the task. The chatter following his hiring was very positive, as was talk about this new-look defense in training camp.
If the Cowboys’ defense can improve to even a little bit below the NFL average, this team could be truly scary in 2026. The offense retained virtually every key member of last year’s unit, which ranked fifth in points per game (27.7), second in total yards per game (391.9) and third in yards per play (5.9). They were a versatile group, with a prolific passing attack that finished second in passing yards per game (266.3) with Dak Prescott throwing passes to George Pickens, Jake Ferguson and an injured CeeDee Lamb who dealt with a severe ankle sprain for much of the season. The offensive line remains intact, which bodes well for Javonte Williams after this backfield ranked eighth in rushing yards per game (125.6) last season, too.
With that in mind along with some projected improvement from the defense, it’s not too difficult to envision a world where Dallas wins its first division title since 2023. The Philadelphia Eagles are sure to be good, but have experienced some bumps in the last year and are now without A.J. Brown. The Washington Commanders and New York Giants should both be varying levels of competitive, but neither looks like a truly good team prior to the season. The Cowboys’ win total is set at 9.5 on DraftKings Sportsbook with +184 odds to win the NFC East at the time of this article’s publication. That’s not bold enough, though.
Personally, Brian Schottenheimer is a favorite pick of mine to win Coach of the Year if the Cowboys take the division in hand. It’s possible that Dak Prescott could see the credit more than the second-year head coach, though – especially if this team performs at its ceiling with 12+ wins behind an incredible offense. At +1200 odds, an MVP future for the veteran quarterback isn’t out of the question. He’s played at a near-MVP level for stretches in the past and now has one of the best surrounding environments he could possibly ask for.
With that in mind, I’m predicting that the 33-year-old will go on to win the first MVP of his career this season as he leads the Cowboys to 12+ victories this season.
