If anybody has ever performed the recreation of Jenga earlier than, they know that it’s a recreation about talent, endurance, and ensuring you don’t pull the incorrect piece as a result of the entire tower might come crashing down. Some blocks are extra necessary than others in retaining issues collectively.
When it involves the 2026 Cowboys, there are a number of individuals who may very well be key to the group’s success and potential issues on the discipline. Will wins and losses come right down to what number of punts Bryan Anger can land in the opponent’s 20-yard line? Probably not. What about the new addition of Rashan Gary and ensuring the Cowboys’ protection can get to the quarterback greater than they did final yr? There’s some stress there.
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Here are the five “Jenga pieces” for the Cowboys this season, the place if all goes nicely, issues must be nice. But if there are a number of slip-ups, it might result in one other dropping season.
5. Brian Schottenheimer (play-caller)
Brian Schottenheimer, the head coach, has exceeded the preliminary expectations that got here along with his rent. Many had been skeptical of the rent as head coach and assumed the Cowboys could be so much worse on offense in 2025. To his credit score, he helped orchestrate a top-ten unit with Dak Prescott having a profession season. He even managed to get the finest out of George Pickens when everybody else thought it wouldn’t work. But that protection.
All of the focus has been on fixing the protection this offseason, and rightfully so. However, it shouldn’t be a foregone conclusion that the offense will repeat its success. The finest offensive play-callers, like Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, and Ben Johnson, evolve their recreation plans every season to maintain defenses guessing.
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Hopefully, an elevation of sure gamers on offense will enable Schottenheimer to be extra versatile. Jaydon Blue has had an awesome begin to his second season, getting reward from those that cowl the group. The backup working again spot shall be necessary to maintain Javonte Williams contemporary. Ryan Flournoy is poised for an even bigger position with the departure of Jalen Tolbert and has seemed good in minicamp. He’s additionally getting extra reps in the slot, which is able to enable all three of the high receivers to be moved round.
If the offense stumbles in any method, that places extra stress on the protection to be at their finest. With a first-time coordinator instructing a brand new system, that may very well be a recipe for catastrophe. Having a wholesome Prescott commanding the offense and George Pickens with CeeDee Lamb ought to assist cowl any points, however ensuring the offense evolves in a roundabout way shall be necessary.
4. Who can rush the passer?
Where would the Cowboys’ move rushers rank amongst different groups’ models in the NFL? Their inside gamers look actually good with Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark. Glass half full: The Los Angeles Rams gained the Super Bowl in 2021 with Aaron Donald as their chief in sacks with 12.5. Leonard Floyd and an getting old Von Miller had been second and third on the listing with 9.5 and 5.0 sacks, respectively. Maybe Dallas is hoping to supply extra stress from an elite participant in Williams from the center and let their outdoors move rushers be contributors.
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Glass half empty: The Cowboys don’t have anybody on the outdoors who would scare opposing tackles. Similarly to changing somebody like Tyron Smith, discovering the subsequent Micah Parsons will not be straightforward both. Dallas created an enormous gap at move rusher after they traded Parsons away to the Green Bay Packers. They drafted Donovan Ezeiruaku final yr, after which added Rashan Gary and Malachi Lawrence this offseason.
Ezeiruaku had an awesome rookie season as a run defender, however couldn’t produce the similar sack numbers as he did at Boston College. Gary was a participant the Packers had been prepared to maneuver on from regardless of having 7.5 sacks every of the final two years, and Lawrence was a participant Parker stood on the desk for in the first spherical. James Houston, Sam Williams, Marist Liufau, and Tyrus Wheat are in the combine to fill in the gaps as rotational gamers.
How many sacks might a Parker-led protection count on from its outdoors gamers? If you take a look at the 2024 and 2025 Philadelphia Eagles, the main sackers in each years had been Josh Sweat (8.0) and Jalyx Hunt (6.5). However, in 2024, the Eagles had five defensive ends/linebackers register at the least 2.5 sacks every. In 2025, six defensive ends/linebackers had greater than two sacks.
Could we see Gary, Ezeiruaku, or Lawrence have a double-digit sack season? That could be superb, nevertheless it seems like historical past exhibits it ought to come from a number of contributors and never only one participant. Parker’s protection may lean extra on the secondary, much like the Legion of Boom, permitting non-household names like Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett to supply as move rushers or have Williams and Clark get six sacks apiece. Either method, Dallas wants to seek out artistic methods to use stress on opposing quarterbacks. That’s why having somebody like move rush specialist Brandon Jordan in the constructing may very well be their secret weapon.
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3. Starting Linebackers
The Cowboys are placing their religion in DeMarvion Overshown to assist lead the protection from the center linebacker place. Just like Tyler Guyton, Overshown’s flashes have seemed superb, however his well being has been a priority since coming into the NFL.
Overshown enters coaching camp wholesome for the first time since his rookie season, when he was rehabbing a knee damage. He’s additionally coming into a pivotal yr of his profession along with his rookie deal set to run out at the finish of the 2026 season. Overshown signed with David Mulugheta with the hope that he might money in at the finish of an awesome yr.
In order to try this, he’ll not solely have to remain on the discipline but additionally present he can command Christian Parker’s protection at a excessive degree. One space that plagued the Dallas protection final yr was the lack of communication at the second degree. If Overshown is chosen to put on the inexperienced dot, there’s a whole lot of duty falling on his shoulders.
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Outside of Overshown, the Dallas linebacking corps leaves so much to be desired. The Cowboys added a number of linebackers throughout draft weekend. They drafted Jaishawn Barham in the third spherical and traded for Dee Winters for a fifth-round choose. Winters had over 100 tackles final yr and began 17 video games for the San Francisco 49ers final yr, however can that very same manufacturing come over to Dallas? Can Barham get on the discipline as a rookie and play with the similar tenacity as he confirmed at Michigan? Shemar James was cherry-picked by Matt Eberflus to develop. Does Parker nonetheless see the similar imaginative and prescient?
Adding one other veteran to the combine would ease considerations a couple of place that contributed to many errors final yr. People keep in mind what issues seemed like when Kenneth Murray was on the discipline. If Parker can harness some Vic Fangio magic, who turned Zack Baun into an All-Pro linebacker, possibly there’s hope for what he can do for Overshown, Winters, James, and Barham.
2. Finding the proper left deal with
Replacing somebody like Tyron Smith at left deal with will not be straightforward. The Cowboys drafted Tyler Guyton to be that man, and thus far, there have been cold and warm moments. In his rookie season, Guyton allowed six sacks and 26 total pressures per Pro Football Focus. He additionally had 18 penalties, which had been the third most amongst all tackles in 2024.
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The moments had been higher for Guyton in his sophomore season, however he couldn’t keep wholesome lengthy sufficient to construct on his progress. First, he missed most of coaching camp with a knee damage that was initially believed to be season-ending. He bought wholesome sufficient to play Week 1 in opposition to the Philadelphia Eagles, however was out and in of the lineup all through the season and ended the yr on injured reserve with an ankle damage.
Brian Schottenheimer and Klayton Adams have talked about how Guyton has all the expertise to be an awesome NFL deal with, however has to remain on the discipline. The uncertainty surrounding his availability has created a contest at left deal with that ought to warmth up in coaching camp. Nate Thomas and rookie Drew Shelton might get the probability to win the job, however Guyton ought to get each alternative to maintain progressing.
If the offense is meant to take one other step ahead in the direction of championship aspirations, determining who must be the finest match at left deal with shall be paramount to defending Prescott’s blindside. Guyton has had a number of mentors this offseason, working with Tyron Smith and Terron Armstead. Guyton was recently seen working out at Lane Johnson’s training facility, Rooks Performance (also an Oklahoma alum).
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Guyton coming into his personal this season could be an enormous enhance for the offense, however he stays considered one of the greatest query marks heading into coaching camp.
1. Christian Parker
The key Jenga piece to all the things going proper or incorrect this season may come right down to how Christian Parker does as defensive coordinator. This shall be the first time Parker is looking performs. When the lights come on, how will Parker carry out? Will he be higher suited in the sales space versus on the discipline with gamers? Since day one, he has sounded ready for the second and all that comes with teaching the Cowboys, however the unknown is what makes him the final Jenga piece.
His even-keeled, quiet demeanor is likely to be a superpower if issues don’t click on on protection in the first few weeks of the season. Aside from P.J. Locke and Rashan Gary, who’re conversant in Parker, the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator is attempting to work with what’s already in place together with some unfamiliar additions. That might go a number of alternative ways if the gamers don’t match the scheme. It might take one other offseason earlier than Parker has all the items in place to totally execute his imaginative and prescient.
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Parker’s bread and butter is creating gamers in the secondary. After having a traditionally unhealthy move protection final yr, he’s anticipated to come back in and re-ignite the All-Pro expertise in DaRon Bland and breathe life again into Shavon Revel’s first-round choose caliber of play proven in faculty.
It doesn’t harm that the group discovered a option to draft Caleb Downs, who was regarded by some analysts as the finest participant in the draft. Having veterans like Malik Hooker and Cobie Durant ought to ease the studying curve for the rookie and others who may not be up to the mark on Parker’s protection.
The 34-year-old coordinator aspires to develop into an NFL head coach sometime. Dan Quinn turned a profitable run in Dallas into one other alternative with the Washington Commanders. The blueprint is there. If Parker can flip issues round for the Cowboys to the level the place he’s being talked about as a future head teaching candidate, that might imply the season performed out rather well for Dallas and could be downside to have.