If you're a Dallas Cowboys fan holding onto hope for a breakthrough, 2026 might just be the year of breaking long-standing droughts. With the New York Knicks and Arsenal both ending their own title dry spells, maybe the stars are aligning for Jerry Jones' Cowboys to finally make a deep playoff run.
But let's not sugarcoat it: the Cowboys' drought is a hard pill to swallow. They haven't seen an NFC Championship Game since their Super Bowl victory in 1995.
Stephen Jones might play it off with air quotes, but there's no denying the reality of this 30-year dry spell. And the path to ending it isn't getting any smoother.
Enter Aaron Donald. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, there's buzz about Donald contemplating a return to the Los Angeles Rams.
Schefter mentioned on NFL Live, "Donald himself has floated that he could potentially return to Los Angeles. He's thinking about it.
Training camp is getting closer, and they'd need a plan to bring him back."
If Donald does return, it spells trouble for the Cowboys and the rest of the NFL. The Rams, fresh off an NFC Championship Game appearance, have already bolstered their defense by acquiring Myles Garrett, arguably the best defensive player in the league today. Pairing Garrett with a potentially returning Donald could create a defensive line that nightmares are made of.
The Cowboys have made their own offseason improvements, but they seem modest compared to the Rams' aggressive moves. Before adding Garrett, the Rams secured Chiefs All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie to shore up their secondary, which was their Achilles' heel last season.
Even if Donald isn't at his peak after a three-year retirement, his legacy as a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and an eight-time first-team All-Pro speaks volumes. He's a defensive force that most teams would envy, even at a fraction of his prime.
While no team is invincible, the Rams are shaping up to be a formidable opponent. Adding Donald to a roster that already includes Garrett and McDuffie, alongside an offense that thrives under MVP Matthew Stafford and the strategic genius of Sean McVay, could make them a juggernaut in the league.
For the Cowboys, the road to breaking their drought just got a little steeper. But as we know in sports, anything is possible until the final whistle blows.
In Other News...
Cowboys Early Roster Projection Puts Familiar Names In Serious Danger
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One of the trickier calls sits behind the starting quarterback, where Dallas may end up carrying three passers but still has to sort out a backup pecking order. The same uncertainty runs through the rest of the roster, with a few players who logged real snaps last season suddenly looking vulnerable and others, including rookies like Jaishawn Barham and LT Overton, offering the kind of long-term promise that can make these early projections feel more like a warning than a prediction. [Read more 🡒]
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A big part of that perception comes from how the defense has been upgraded and how the staff has been shaped, including Brian Schottenheimers choice to bring in Christian Parker to run the unit. There is also a sense that the front office has handled the business side more cleanly, from the George Pickens situation to contract decisions that no longer seem to linger as distractions, which is why some evaluators are now discussing Dallas in a way fans have not been used to hearing. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Already Took A Hit Where This Roster Could Least Afford It
The Cowboys have spent enough time talking about ceilings and upside this spring, but the latest reminder of how thin the margin can be came in a place Dallas could least afford it. With Dak Prescott coming off a strong 2025 season, the bigger picture still points toward a roster that needs its quarterback to keep playing at that level while the front office tries to manage what comes next on the cap. At the same time, the defensive side is being shaped by Christian Parkers expected Vic Fangio-style approach, which puts even more pressure on the line to create disruption without much blitz help.
That is why the early look at a rookie edge rusher such as Malachi Lawrence matters so much to this team. Dallas needs pass rush juice to show up quickly, and it needs it from players who can fit into a system built around patience, discipline and pressure from the front four. If that kind of help is going to come, it has to come soon, because the roster does not have many obvious places left to absorb another hit. [Read more 🡒]