The Dallas Cowboys’ 2026 season has stumbled out of the gate, and at 2-3, the record has plenty of people hunting for the biggest culprit.
That’s the conversation now: who or what deserves the most blame for a start that has gone the wrong way, even if the season is far from finished? A lot of the preseason optimism has already been tested.
Jerry Jones had kept a lower profile and looked ready to make moves. Brian Schottenheimer got a boost for his offensive work in 2025 and the way he handled the head coaching job.
Christian Parker was brought in with plenty of buzz at defensive coordinator. The roster, at least on paper, was supposed to be better.
But none of that looks quite as clean now.
Jones is an obvious place to point because he is both owner and general manager, which puts him at the center of decisions on the roster and the coaching setup. Schottenheimer is in the spotlight too, since he’s the head coach and the problems have shown up across the board.
Parker’s defense has already been blamed for games slipping away, and the team has even looked outside for help during the season. Then there’s the players themselves, who have had their share of issues with missed tackles, blown coverage, dumb penalties, and poor execution.
Injuries and the schedule also belong in the mix. Those setbacks have clearly made it harder for the Cowboys to find any kind of rhythm or play at full strength.
That’s the debate being laid out for fans now: which factor gets the biggest share of the blame, and how confident are you in the Cowboys moving in the right direction?
In Other News...
Cowboys May Have One Fix For Problems On Both Sides
The Cowboys early-season frustrations on both sides of the ball have pushed the conversation back to an old football truth: when the ground game works, a lot of other problems get easier to manage. Dallas has been trying to find more balance on offense while also looking for ways to help a defense that has been pressed too often, and the rushing attack has become a clear area to clean up. It has been a quiet slide so far, with the unit sitting near the bottom of the league and Javonte Williams not producing the kind of rushing yards Dallas needs from him.
A stronger commitment to the run could give the Cowboys longer drives, better field position and some relief for a defense that would benefit from a little less time on the field. That makes the upcoming game against the Green Bay Packers a useful measuring stick, because the path to fixing one side of the ball may run directly through the other. If Dallas can get the rushing game moving, it might not solve everything, but it would at least give the team a more stable place to start. [Read more 🡒]
Why Chad Hennings Made Cowboys No 96 Mean So Much More
For the Cowboys, No. 96 will always carry a little extra weight because of Chad Hennings, the defensive tackle whose path to Dallas was anything but ordinary. Before becoming a fixture on the line and a respected locker room presence for nearly a decade, Hennings served as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force and arrived in the NFL already well into his 20s, bringing a level of discipline and perspective that fit neatly with a franchise built on toughness and expectation.
What made Hennings so memorable was not just the football resume, though three Super Bowl rings make that case pretty quickly. It was the combination of his military background, his late start in pro football and the way he became a steady defensive force once he finally settled in with Dallas. Among all the players who wore 96, Hennings stood out because his story gave the number a meaning that went well beyond production on Sundays. [Read more 🡒]
Troy Aikmans ESPN Future Suddenly Feels Much Less Certain
Troy Aikmans place in ESPNs broadcast booth is suddenly looking a lot less settled after he addressed the speculation swirling around his future during a radio interview. The former Cowboys quarterback said he will keep calling games through this season, but beyond that he is heading toward free agency, a development that adds an unexpected layer of uncertainty to one of the networks most recognizable NFL voices.
Aikman did not get into the specifics of the rumored tension with Joe Buck that has been circulating, leaving plenty of room for questions about what comes next. For Dallas fans who still track every move from one of the franchises most iconic figures, the bigger takeaway is simple enough for now - his broadcasting future is no longer something to take for granted. [Read more 🡒]