When the Dallas Cowboys made the headline-grabbing decision to trade away All-Pro pass-rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, the message was clear: the burden to keep this team afloat would shift heavily onto the offense. And Dak Prescott? He didn’t flinch.
The $240 million quarterback turned in one of the best seasons of his career - 4,552 passing yards, 32 total touchdowns, and just 10 interceptions. But even with Prescott playing at a high level, the Cowboys stumbled to a 7-9-1 finish and missed the postseason.
That stat line tells you everything you need to know about where this team stands: electric on offense, but completely overwhelmed on defense. Now, the Cowboys head into a pivotal offseason with serious questions and even bigger decisions looming.
Prescott, speaking ahead of Tuesday’s Pro Bowl Games, didn’t mince words about what needs to happen next.
“We know we got to get that (defensive) side of the ball right,” he said. “But we got to make sure that we aren’t complacent with what we’ve done on our side of the ball. We’ve got to get one of our guys signed and make sure that we take a big step on offense as well.”
That “guy” he’s referring to? George Pickens.
The Second-Team All-Pro wideout is coming off a breakout season - 93 catches, 1,429 yards, and nine touchdowns - and is now heading into free agency. Pickens made an immediate impact in his first year with the Cowboys, and despite some concerns about his temperament, there’s no denying the spark he brought to this offense. His connection with Prescott was electric, and when paired with CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys had one of the most dynamic receiving duos in the league.
The front office reportedly wants Pickens back, and it’s easy to see why. Prescott and Pickens had a rhythm that felt natural, even explosive at times.
If Dallas can retain both Pickens and Lamb - and keep them healthy - Prescott could be poised for a career year in 2026. But as we saw this season, even a top-tier offense can’t carry a team when the defense is leaking points at a historic rate.
Let’s talk about that defense. The Cowboys gave up a league-worst 30.1 points per game and were gashed for 251.5 passing yards per contest.
That’s not just bad - that’s catastrophic. No matter how many yards Prescott throws for, or how many touchdowns Pickens and Lamb haul in, it won’t matter if the defense can’t get off the field.
The problems start up front, but the secondary is where things really fell apart. Missed assignments, poor tackling, blown coverages - it was a weekly parade of breakdowns that turned every opposing quarterback into a Pro Bowler.
There’s no quick fix here, but Dallas has to be aggressive in both free agency and the draft. They need reinforcements - and not just depth pieces.
They need game-changers.
This offseason is going to define the Cowboys’ trajectory for the next few years. Can the front office lock up Pickens and rebuild a defense that was the Achilles’ heel of an otherwise promising roster?
Prescott believes they can. And after watching him shoulder the load this season, Cowboys fans are hoping he’s right.
Because if Dallas can finally strike the right balance - pairing that high-octane offense with a defense that can at least hold its own - this team might not just get back to the playoffs. They might actually be built to stay there.