The Cowboys are heading into 2026 training camp with the kind of pressure that comes from back-to-back seven-win seasons. Dallas finished 7-9-1 in 2025 under first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer, and while the roster has been reshaped on defense to better fit Christian Parker’s scheme, the offense still carries the confidence of a unit that was one of the league’s best last season.
With camp about to open, the bigger question is which players Dallas can truly lean on as foundational pieces at every spot.
At quarterback, the answer is still Dak Prescott. The Cowboys know he won’t be around forever, which is why they reportedly explored Brendan Sorsby if he had entered the NFL Supplemental Draft.
Prescott will turn 33 during camp, but he remains the player they can build around right now. The clock is ticking, though, and Dallas has to keep moving while also keeping future options in view.
In the backfield, Javonte Williams is the clear centerpiece after a breakout 2025 season. He’s under contract for three more years, and even with his injury history always hanging over him, he fits what the Cowboys want to do on offense. Jaydon Blue could eventually push for a bigger role, but Williams is the lead runner for the foreseeable future.
CeeDee Lamb remains the easiest choice at receiver. He’s entering his seventh NFL season and has topped 1,000 yards in each of the last five. Defenses have to account for him on every snap, and while George Pickens gives Dallas another strong building block, Lamb is the most dependable of the group.
Tight end Jake Ferguson also earned his place on the list after giving Prescott a steady target in 2025. He caught 82 passes for 600 yards and eight touchdowns. The Cowboys would like more production after the catch, and the seven fumbles he’s had over the last two seasons are a real blemish, but he’s still the kind of all-around tight end they can build with.
Up front, Tyler Smith stands out as the offensive line’s anchor. Jerry Jones didn’t take an offensive lineman in the first round until 2011, but after Tyron Smith’s success that year, first-round linemen became the standard. Tyler Smith, taken 24th overall out of Tulsa in 2022, has become one of the NFL’s best left guards and now serves as the leader of the entire Cowboys offensive line.
On defense, the biggest name is Quinnen Williams. Dallas made a major deadline trade last season to land the defensive tackle, and he has spent the past seven seasons as one of the league’s premier players at the position since the Jets took him No. 3 overall in 2019. The Cowboys want to control the line of scrimmage, and Williams is the player they’re building around in the trenches.
Linebacker is trickier. DeMarvion Overshown is tempting, but the reality is he has yet to play a full season and has only 19 games on his resume in his fourth year.
That makes third-round pick Jaishawn Barham the more sensible building block. He played both edge and linebacker at Michigan and is expected to work inside in Parker’s system.
Barham brings pass-rush value, a nose for the ball, and the kind of upside that could make him the long-term answer at a position of need.
At cornerback, Shavon Revel Jr. gets the nod, even if it’s a choice that could spark debate. The Cowboys had hoped DaRon Bland would be that player after giving him a four-year extension in 2025, but he didn’t live up to it.
Revel didn’t flash big as a rookie, but Dallas drafted him with the future in mind while he was still coming back from a torn ACL. Christian Parker is high on him, and that support matters.
In the secondary, Caleb Downs is the centerpiece. Dallas traded up one spot to take the Ohio State safety at No. 11 overall, and he arrives with a reputation as an elite communicator who can handle multiple jobs.
He’ll have plenty on his plate as a rookie, and his responsibilities should only grow with experience. More than any other player in the back end, Downs is the one they plan to build the defense around.
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Smith also made clear he sees a real championship path for Dallas if the group keeps grinding, a familiar message in late July but one that lands differently when the roster is trying to sort out its best five up front. The final call on where Smith lines up is expected to come during camp, and for Cowboys fans, that means a key piece of the puzzle is still waiting to be placed. [Read more 🡒]