Sunday night brings the first real look at what the Cowboys want to be in 2026, and the matchup with the Giants gives Dallas a few obvious places to tilt the field. The offensive line shuffle, the game plan on offense, the debut of Christian Parker’s defense and the special teams spotlight all sit right there in plain view.
The first test comes on the interior, where Tyler Smith’s absence matters. Smith is out for a minimum of four weeks, which pushes T.J.
Bass into the starting role at left guard in Week 1. There’s confidence in Bass as a high-quality backup, but the drop-off from Smith is still real.
The good news for Dallas is that the Giants’ edge rush is the stronger part of their front, while the interior looks more manageable after they traded away Dexter Lawrence before this year’s draft. Bass may still see the occasional stunt or twist, but for most of the night he should be dealing with D.J.
Reader, Shelby Harris, Chauncey Golston and Darius Alexander. Bass has already shown he can handle Reader in previous starts, along with other tough interior defenders.
How Dallas attacks the Giants early may be the biggest offensive decision of the night. Brian Schottenheimer and Klayton Adams can lean into the run game, and there’s a strong case for that approach.
In 2025, the Giants finished last in EPA allowed per rush, and that was with Lawrence anchoring the middle. Dallas had success on the ground last season, and the numbers point toward a heavy dose of run calls in the first 15 scripted plays.
Still, this is also a Cowboys offense with a loaded receiver group and Dak Prescott, a top-10 quarterback. The Giants secondary is still very much a work in progress.
If Dallas comes out firing and builds an early lead, that puts second-year quarterback Jaxon Dart in chase mode and gives the rebuilt Cowboys defense a chance to settle in with some margin. The swing factor is whether Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele can stand up to what should be an excellent Giants pass rush off the edge.
Either way, the Cowboys should have the edge on offense.
On the other side of the ball, Sunday night is the first glimpse of Christian Parker’s revamped defense, and it’s a group with a very different look from the one that opened last season. Dallas will have 11 key contributors on the field who were not there at the start of Week 1 a year ago, including Quinnen Williams, Caleb Downs and DeMarvion Overshown.
The biggest question for 2026 is whether that overhaul is enough to support Prescott and the offense. The early expectation is straightforward: stop the run first, force Jaxson Dart into more passing situations and make the Giants earn everything.
Special teams could matter too, and Brandon Aubrey gets his first chance to back up his new extension. Giants fans remember what happened in Week 2 last season, when Aubrey drilled a 64-yard field goal to send the game to overtime before ending it with a 46-yarder for the win.
Dallas’ special teams as a whole didn’t shine in 2025, with field position a problem throughout the year. The defense played a part in that, but the return units had issues as well.
With the defense rebuilt, KaVontae Turpin should have more chances to work with returnable punts, and the Cowboys will be hoping that leads to a better version of the dynamic return man this week. At minimum, he just needs to stay sharp on the fair catch rules.
In Other News...
Cowboys Trade Deadline Hope Just Got Much Tougher For Jerry Jones
The Cowboys have spent much of this stretch keeping an eye on the leagues biggest defensive names, and Maxx Crosby has been near the top of that list for good reason. Dallas was among the finalists when trade talks around the star edge rusher picked up earlier, and Jerry Jones has made clear he is willing to look for help if it can raise the ceiling of a defense that still needs impact talent.
But the path to any blockbuster just got a lot murkier. The Rams also tried to get involved, only to hear Crosby tell them and other interested teams that he does not want to be dealt and would prefer to stay with the Raiders, which leaves Dallas in a familiar holding pattern as the November 10 deadline approaches. The Cowboys have not closed the door on revisiting the chase, but for now the biggest obstacle is not price, it is whether Crosby is even available in the first place. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Have A Cornerback Opportunity That Could Come At A Cost
Cornerback help is the kind of thing that can reshape a defense fast, and Joey Porter Jr. has suddenly entered the conversation as a name worth watching. Contract talks between Porter and the Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly stalled, and he is open to playing elsewhere, which is enough to put several teams on alert. The Steelers have been willing to listen to trade offers, but their asking price has kept the market quiet so far.
For the Cowboys, the appeal is obvious. They have cap space and draft capital, two things that can make a bold trade more realistic if they decide Porter is the right fit. The cost is the real question, though, because Pittsburgh is said to be seeking a premium pick, and Dallas would have to decide how much it wants to pay for a cornerback opportunity that could strengthen the roster but also reshape how it handles its future draft resources. [Read more 🡒]
Javonte Williams Could Be The Cowboys' Sunday Night X-Factor
Sunday Night Football gives the Cowboys a chance to keep sorting out roles in a matchup with the Giants that has plenty of fantasy angles attached to it. Javonte Williams is one of the names drawing attention because of how player usage can tilt a slate like this, while Brandon Aubrey remains part of the conversation for Dallas managers looking at the kicking game in a contest that could feature plenty of scoring chances.
The Giants bring their own lineup questions, with uncertainty around Nabers availability shaping how people build around their passing attack. For Dallas, that creates a little more room for alternative pass catchers to matter, and it also keeps the focus on how the Cowboys may choose to spread opportunities in a game that looks useful for daily fantasy players trying to squeeze value out of every snap. [Read more 🡒]