With training camp for the 2026 season only a couple of weeks away, the Dallas Cowboys are drawing plenty of attention for the obvious names. Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are going to command the spotlight. On defense, Christian Parker and rookie first-round pick Caleb Downs have also become major talking points.
But the Cowboys’ season won’t be shaped by stars alone. The role players matter, too, and Dallas has a handful of them who could swing how this year goes.
KaVontae Turpin is one of those players. He earned All-Pro honors in 2025, though the selection came with plenty of criticism.
Turpin still led the NFL with 1,814 kick return yards, but his yards per return dropped from 33.5 in 2024 to 26.3 in 2025. He also dealt with fair catch penalties and didn’t do much as a receiver.
The upside is still obvious. Turpin has the kind of speed that can flip a game on offense, and he remains a dangerous return man.
The Cowboys just need him to get back to the level he showed in the first three seasons of his career. If that happens, it gives Dallas a real lift.
At cornerback, DaRon Bland is the highest-paid player at the position on the roster, and Shavon Revel Jr. has also drawn plenty of offseason attention. Revel, a 2025 third-round pick, spent much of his rookie year working his way back into shape after an ACL tear in his final season at ECU. Now that he’s shed the knee brace, he has looked much more comfortable heading into year two.
Still, the most important cornerback X-factor might be Cobie Durant. Dallas quietly brought in one of the offseason’s most underappreciated additions in Durant, who is coming off a strong year with the Los Angeles Rams. He picked off three passes in the regular season and added three more during the playoffs.
Durant is undersized, but he plays with real edge. He could battle for a starting job, and even if Bland and Revel hold onto those spots, Durant is going to be needed. How he performs could go a long way toward determining whether this defense finds the consistency it needs.
The backfield has its own wild card in Jaydon Blue. The Texas product was one of Dallas’ most anticipated rookies in 2025 after running a sub-4.4 40 at the Combine. He brought some much-needed juice to the offense, but he never won over the coaching staff and spent a lot of his rookie year as a healthy scratch.
This summer gives him another shot. The Cowboys are giving Blue every chance to win the No. 2 job behind Javonte Williams, and he’s saying the right things about being ready.
Dallas needs a spark on offense, and it needs someone who can help lighten Williams’ load. That makes Blue a key piece heading into 2026.
Then there’s DeMarvion Overshown, who may be the biggest X-factor of all. Dee Winters gives Dallas a linebacker who can handle both coverage and the run, but Overshown is the one who could change the defense if everything clicks.
Health is the big question. Overshown is entering his fourth season and has played in only 19 games because of multiple knee injuries.
He’s fully healthy going into 2026, though, and he already showed what he can do in 2024. He made plays in the backfield, against the run and as a pass rusher, and he looked like a difference-maker for the Cowboys defense.
If Overshown stays healthy and plays all 17 games, he has the chance to become a superstar. That makes him the most important X-factor on this defense.
In Other News...
Former Cowboys Defender Linked To Disturbing New Allegations
Former Cowboys defensive end Marcellus Wiley is back in the news for the wrong reasons, with his name now attached to a Florida domestic violence arrest and a separate set of allegations from his wife, Annemarie, that have pushed the situation well beyond a routine legal dispute. For Dallas fans who remember Wiley from his time on the edge, the story has taken on a deeply personal and unsettling tone as it moves from an alleged hotel altercation into family court and public accusations.
Annemarie has filed for divorce and sought a restraining order, while Wiley has denied the allegations and said he is focused on protecting their children as the legal process plays out. The case has already become more complicated with the couples family at the center of it, and the next developments are likely to matter as much for the personal fallout as for whatever comes next in court. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Have One Clear Answer To Washingtons Rasul Douglas Move
Washingtons addition of Rasul Douglas gives the Commanders another experienced option in their cornerback room, and it naturally puts a little more focus on how Dallas stacks up on the back end. The Cowboys have their own reasons to keep looking at the position, especially with the NFC East always turning roster moves into a measuring stick, and the contrast between the two teams corner groups is hard to ignore.
One name that keeps surfacing in that conversation is Kenny Moore, the veteran slot corner who was released by Indianapolis in May after the Colts were unable to find a trade partner. Moore has been one of the leagues more reliable nickel defenders for years, with a track record of handling a heavy workload inside and enough versatility to give a defense some flexibility. For Dallas, that kind of profile makes sense as the secondary continues to take shape around a division rivals latest move. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Pass Rush Just Sent A Message Fans Needed To See
A handful of Cowboys defenders are heading to Las Vegas next week for a pass-rush summit that says plenty about where this team wants its edge to come from. Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark are set to join coach Brandon Jordan at the 2026 Sack Summit, a three-day gathering built for NFL rushers to trade technique, ideas and the kind of details that can change a season.
The timing matters, too, with training camp opening July 28 and Dallas still trying to bounce back from a defense that never found enough answers last year. For a unit that needs more disruption up front and better resistance against the run, the trip is less about offseason networking than it is about showing up with a plan, a sharper toolbox and a clearer sense of what the Cowboys need from them once camp begins. [Read more 🡒]