Jan. 8, 2026, 11:05 p.m. CT
The Dallas Cowboys wasted a great season from Dak Prescott and the offense, fielding one of the worst defenses in team history. The defense will take a lot of work to get back to a level that can help Dallas contend for a championship. It starts with an influx of better talent and a new defensive coordinator now that Matt Eberflus has been fired. The offense has easier improvements it can make in its own locker room.
They don’t need an overhaul, but it isn’t perfect. They struggled on opening drives and scoring touchdowns once they reached the red zone, while eliminating self-inflicted mistakes. It is unfair to hold one side of the ball to such a high standard. Still, many of their losses could’ve been mitigated by better efficiency.
Clean up the penalties
The Cowboys ended the season with 133 penalties, most in the league, at 7.8 per game. They were next-to-last in penalty yards, over 66 per game, and last in first downs from penalties, with 2.9 per contest. Their pre-snap penalties, a disciplinary stat, were in the bottom three in the NFL.
The special teams unit finished next to last with 32 penalties on its own. A new coaching staff should’ve looked at the team under the previous regime and tried to improve these numbers, but penalties continue to plague Dallas regardless of who is on the sidelines.
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The Cowboys also struggled with drops this season. WR CeeDee Lamb was top-10 in drops with eight, despite missing a few games, and that helped Prescott to be in the top five in the NFL in yards lost from drops with 319. Prescott was the only quarterback in the NFL with more yards lost to drops than to missed throws.
Losing over 300 yards to dropped passes kept Prescott from a chance at 5,000 yards in 2025 and an opportunity to lead the league in passing. The Week 1 matchup against Philadelphia ended in a loss, mainly due to three drops by Lamb, and it hurt the club throughout the season.
Win the turnover battle
The team was also in the bottom five in turnover differential, and while most of that was due to a defense that couldn’t force turnovers, the offense still lost nine fumbles and threw 12 interceptions. In Week 9, the Cowboys were lost to the lowly Arizona Cardinals thanks to critical fumbles by Jake Ferguson and Javonte Williams.
The Dallas offense was excellent in its first year under Brian Schottenheimer. Still, if the team cleans up its own mistakes like penalties, drops, and turnovers, it could take the team to another level, regardless of what happens to the defense.
You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or on YouTube at Across the Cowboys podcast