Jan. 10, 2026, 10:58 a.m. CT
The Dallas Cowboys’ season has officially ended, and fans are looking for changes that can turn around a team that missed the playoffs the last two years. The team already fired defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who had led one of the league’s worst defenses ever. They had the fourth-worst defense in DVOA history, allowed the most points in team history, and allowed 30 or more points nine times. The Cowboys allowed 511 points to opponents this year, the sixth-worst in NFL history.
As difficult as it might seem to believe, the Cowboys did have some positive results in the 2025 season. They hit in free agency, adding a significant contributor on both sides of the ball, and developed a Day 3 draft pick into a solid offensive weapon. Quarterback Dak Prescott took his play to another level under new head coach and play-caller Brian Schottenheimer.
Their running back strategy is working
Rico Dowdle was a cheap option who produced like a highly-paid player in 2024, even with Ezekiel Elliott competing for snaps early. Javonte Williams took Dowdle’s production in the space to another level.
He was the first free-agent signing this offseason, but it was a cost-effective deal, and he produced at a top-10 level. Amongst running backs, he was ninth in rushing yards with 1,201, seventh in touchdowns with 12, and 13th in yards per attempt, where four of the players ahead of Williams didn’t even have 200 attempts. The team is hoping Jaydon Blue, the Cowboys’ fifth-round pick last year, can develop into their big-play back. They could give Williams a significant pay raise, as Stephen Jones said was a top priority for their offseason, or continue to find cheap options to carry the ball efficiently.
Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.Dallas has developed a third receiving option
Prescott can be unfairly judged based on team success, but one undeniable fact is that he helps develop and elevate pass catchers. Michael Gallup, Cedric Wilson, Dalton Schultz, and Jake Ferguson all developed under Prescott. He led Randall Cobb to a bounce-back season in 2019, and George Pickens just had the best year of his career in Dallas. The latest in this line is 2024 sixth-round pick Ryan Flournoy.
This season, Flournoy had six games with at least three receptions & had two games of 100 or more yards. He finished third in receiving yards from his draft class behind only Xavier Worthy with 532 yards and Ricky Pearsall at 528 yards. Everyone wants George Pickens to return, and he should, but if Flournoy ends up the second option at receiver in 2026, he could end up the most productive receiver from his class in the future.
Dak Prescott is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL
The team might have let Prescott down in 2025, but the Cowboys’ all-time leading passer had an MVP-caliber season. He ended the season as the top QB in completions, completions longer than 40 yards, and 300-yard games. He was fourth in touchdowns, QBR, and EPA, third in yards, and second in win probability added. Prescott was in the top five in the league in nearly every major quarterback stat category.
Schottenheimer opened up the playbook to add more motion and leaned on play action to allow Prescott to take it to another level in Year 10 of his career. With the offense able to open up further, a young offensive line that is ascending, and the possibility of three high-level receiving options the Cowboys offense could be the best in the NFL in 2026.
You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or on YouTube at Across the Cowboys podcast