Dallas Cowboys face big pressure in 2026 offseason as Jerry Jones has to go all-in and why he NEEDS to extend Pickens

The Dallas Cowboys have missed the playoffs for a second straight season, and Jerry Jones must go all-in for the 2026 campaign.

Cowboys fans can have hopes of making a postseason run next season, but numerous changes need to occur.

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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones looks on before a November 17, 2025 gameCredit: Getty

Dallas Cowboys star quarterback Dak Prescott looks on before a preseason game on August 22, 2025Credit: Getty

The Cowboys had one of the best offenses in football, driven by Dak Prescott, who recorded 30 passing touchdowns and 4,552 passing yards.

Dallas pulled all the stops at the trade deadline to bolster its playoff chances, trading a 2027 first-round pick and a 2026 second-round pick to the New York Jets for star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.

But the team finished 7-9-1 and extended its Super Bowl drought to 30 years.

So what do the Cowboys need to do to stop their playoff and Super Bowl droughts?

HIRE AN INTRIGUING DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR

Then-Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris looks on during a 2025 gameCredit: AP

The Cowboys fielded one of the worst defenses this season, and most of the blame, rightfully, fell to defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.

Sure, Dallas traded away All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons days before the season, but Eberflus oversaw the franchise’s first defensive unit to allow 30 points a game.

There was no identity with Eberflus’s defense, hence why Jones moved on from the former Chicago Bears head coach.

The team should replace him with a name like Raheem Morris, who was axed as the Atlanta Falcons head coach, former Michigan Wolverines defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, or Kansas City Chiefs defensive assistant Matt House for the role.

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The defensive-minded Morris was fired despite Atlanta winning four straight games and previously had a successful three-year run as the DC of the Los Angeles Rams that included a Super Bowl win.

Martindale wasn’t retained by Michigan due to a coaching staff that underwent massive changes and has coaching experience in the NFC East.

He had a productive tenure as the New York Giants‘ defensive coordinator from 2021 to 2023.

And House has an impressive resume, as he was Chiefs linebacker coach during the team’s first Super Bowl win under Andy Reid in 2020.

Eberflus likely won’t be the only coach fired, as the rest of the defensive staff, not named Aaron Whittoncotton, who has experience with Quinnen Williams, shouldn’t be certain in Dallas.

FREE AGENT SIGNINGS

Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack sacks Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith this seasonCredit: AP

Dallas are $34 million over the cap, per Spotrac, and will need to make release decisions to get under the salary cap.

The team can also structure up to $92 million in contracts from Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Da’Ron Bland, among others.

The Cowboys can then look to free agency to sign players such as Los Angeles Chargers pass rushers Khalil Mack and Odafe Oweh, among others.

Dallas finished with just 35 sacks, their fewest since 2020, which was the final 16-game season.

While Mack isn’t the same premier pass rusher he once was, the 34-year-old has recorded at least 5.5 sacks since 2021.

Mack’s teammate, Oweh, hasn’t been a full-time starter and has still posted 7.5 sacks.

Dallas could look to add two of Chargers pass rushers that has been part of a stellar defense.

The Cowboys should also add a safety like Coby Bryant, who has flashed with the Seattle Seahawks and shouldn’t command big-name money.

BUILD DEFENSE THROUGH THE DRAFT

Jones seen before a game against the Arizona Cardinals on November 3, 2025Credit: Getty

The team has an extra first-round pick in 2026 to work with due to trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers this past offseason.

Dallas can start fresh anywhere but tackle on defense. They can add a player like Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles with their No. 12 overall pick, and South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse with the Packers’ first-round pick.

Styles showed off his ability as a defensive playmaker during the 2025 season.

The 6-foot-4, 243-pound linebacker posted 81 total sacks with 0.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one interception.

He can impact the defensve in a similar way as Parsons once did.

And Cisse projects as a first-round pick and is among the top corners in the 2025 class.

This season, he recorded five pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one interception.

The Cowboys have a massive need at cornerback after releasing Pro Bowler Trevon Diggs, and Cisse can provide quality for the unit.

EXTEND PICKENS AND WILLIAMS

Cowboys star wide receiver George Pickens walks off the field after a win over the Philadelphia Eagles on November 23, 2025Credit: Getty

The Cowboys must franchise tag George Pickens as a placeholder for a long-term deal, thanks to his breakout year in 2025, and extend running back Javonte Williams, who posted a career-best 11 rushing scores.

Pickens is projected to receive a four-year, $132 million contract extension after posting career-highs in almost every receiving statistic and ranking third in receiving yards (1,420).

It’s scary to think the pair of Pickens and Lamb can be even more explosive, especially in the red-zone area, and Jones has to keep him in the Big D.

Extending Williams would also finally provide some stability to the running back position.

Jerry Jones wants to win, and it seems that he’s willing to be aggressive this offseason.

“I think we can do some things to maybe make as dramatic a difference as we could have in a long time,” Jones told reporters after the team’s Week 18 loss to the Giants.