The Cowboys may have climbed into the middle tier of ESPN’s NFL roster rankings, but the number itself doesn’t tell the whole story. Dallas landed at No. 14, and that feels about right for a team that has added talent but still has to prove it can clean up the mess that defined last season.
The biggest concern remains the defense, especially a cornerback group that ESPN’s Mike Clay called out as the roster’s clearest weak spot. He wrote, "Dallas doesn't have many major problem areas, so an unproven cornerback room is the biggest red flag. This area must be better after the Cowboys finished last in defensive EPA, allowed a 58.4 QBR (29th) and generated only six INTs in 2025."
That’s the backdrop for a roster that now includes Caleb Downs, Rashan Gary, Cobie Durant and Jalen Thompson. Those additions are expected to help immediately, but the Cowboys still need the results to match the paper upgrade. Injuries to DaRon Bland also played a part in last season’s issues, while second-year corner Shavon Revel is trying to bounce back after a rough rookie year.
Durant is projected as a starter, and Dallas needs him to play like one. Fourth-round rookie Devin Moore brings size and upside, but Christian Parker will have to bring him along carefully, with Moore set to begin the year as a backup.
The encouraging part for Dallas is that the offense looks far more established. ESPN sees Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens as the league’s best QB-WR trio, and Javonte Williams gives the group another real weapon after his breakout last season. Williams is even talking about a Pro Bowl push.
Downs may be the most intriguing piece of all. The Ohio State All-American is being viewed as an instant starter and a legitimate difference maker, with Defensive Rookie of the Year aspirations. ESPN’s Clay also pointed to Parker as a major reason for optimism, noting his work developing Eagles secondary standouts Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
Dallas is still ahead of the Jaguars, Bears and Steelers in ESPN’s rankings, along with the Bengals and Buccaneers. That says plenty about the talent on the roster. It also says the Cowboys still have to go out and prove it.
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 🡒]