The Dallas Cowboys are heading into their second training camp under Brian Schottenheimer with a few clear pressure points and a roster that looks different on defense than it did a year ago. After finishing 7-9-1 in Schottenheimer’s first season, Dallas made a pointed move to fix the side of the ball that did the most damage to its record: Matt Eberflus is out, and Christian Parker is in as defensive coordinator after coming over from the Philadelphia Eagles as pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach.
That overhaul didn’t stop with the coaching staff. The Cowboys reshaped the defensive roster to fit Parker’s plan, while the offense comes back intact with all 11 starters from 2025. With camp set to open later this month, there’s no shortage of names worth tracking.
One of the most intriguing is Anthony Smith, Dallas’ final pick in this past draft at No. 218 overall in the seventh round. The East Carolina receiver walks into a crowded room, but he brings one trait that can separate him fast: speed down the field. Smith averaged 17.8 yards per catch in college, and that kind of vertical juice gives him a real chance to force his way onto the 53-man roster this season.
The cornerback battle is another spot that could get loud quickly. Dallas expects DaRon Bland and Shavon Revel Jr. to emerge as the starting duo, and Revel has already been turning heads in offseason work after ditching the knee brace he wore through his rookie year.
But Cobie Durant is the name that could shake up the depth chart. The former Los Angeles Rams defensive back arrived as an underrated free-agent addition after a huge 2025 season that included three interceptions in the regular season and three more in the playoffs.
That production has flown under the radar so far, but training camp should change that, with Durant projected to steal a starting job.
Then there’s Jaishawn Barham, the Cowboys’ No. 92 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. The Michigan defender came into the league with some position questions because he worked both on the edge and at off-ball linebacker in college.
Parker cleared that up by saying he views Barham as a potential playmaker at inside linebacker. Barham didn’t exactly hide his confidence, either, saying he was entering the league ready to steal a job.
With Dee Winters and DeMarvion Overshown ahead of him, Barham likely needs an injury to crack the starting lineup right away. Even so, his physical style and aggressive approach should make him one of the most watched players once camp gets rolling.
In Other News...
Commanders Just Twisted The Knife On Cowboys' Biggest Secondary Concern
The Commanders kept building out their secondary by adding veteran cornerback Rasul Douglas on a deal reportedly worth $3.8 million, a move that gives Washington another experienced body in a room that still has its own questions. Douglas has been around the league enough to know the job, with stops that include Green Bay and Miami, and his arrival is the sort of depth signing teams make when they want a steadier floor on the back end.
For Dallas, the timing lands with a little more sting because the Cowboys are already dealing with uncertainty at corner. Health concerns around DaRon Bland and Shavon Revel have made the position a real watch item, and the depth behind them is thin enough that every outside move in the division feels a little louder than it otherwise would. In a race where secondary stability matters, Washington just made sure it has one more option while the Cowboys are still sorting out theirs. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Linked To Veteran Answer For A Defense That Needs One
The Cowboys linebacker room remains one of the cleaner places to look for help on a defense that still needs it, and a veteran option has surfaced as a logical fit. Bobby Wagner is coming off another productive season, showing he can still handle a full workload and bring the kind of steadiness that teams lean on when the middle of the defense needs sorting out.
Dallas has at least one added wrinkle here, too, because Brian Schottenheimer already knows Wagner from their Seahawks days. Even so, this is still more of a fit check than a transaction report, with the Cowboys linked to the idea of adding a proven linebacker but no move actually in hand yet. [Read more 🡒]
New Findings On Marshawn Kneelands Death Will Hit Cowboys Fans Hard
Marshawn Kneelands death has already left the Cowboys community grieving, and the latest findings add another painful layer to remember about the former defensive lineman. The Boston University CTE Center examined his brain tissue, and the Concussion & CTE Foundation later announced a posthumous diagnosis of Stage 1 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a condition tied to repeated head impacts and one that can only be identified after death through neuropathological examination.
Kneeland was just 24 when he died, and the news is especially sobering for a player whose NFL career had only just begun to take shape. His family donated his brain tissue for the examination, and the foundation has emphasized that the diagnosis should not be read as a cause of death or a proven suicide risk factor, a distinction that matters even as the football world keeps confronting the long-term toll of the game. [Read more 🡒]