Kurt: Nate Newton has shared a theory on our Hangin’ With the Boys podcast that when building a great defense, at the very least you’ve got to have one A-plus player and a whole lot of B-plus guys surrounding him. The problem with the Cowboys in 2025 is they didn’t get their A-plus player, Quinnen Williams, until midway through the season, and he was largely on the field with, well, too many in the C range and below.
So the Cowboys will at least enter the 2026 campaign with Williams anchoring the defensive line. That’s a good start. Now, will players like Kenny Clark, DaRon Bland, Rashan Gary and Jalen Thompson, who in the past have displayed B-plus or better talent, reach those levels again in Christian Parker’s defense? Will those such as DeMarvion Overshown, Donovan Ezeiruaku and Shavon Revel stay healthy and reach the even A-grade possibilities they’ve teased us with?
Can the team also acquire other contributors who may not be in the top tier but are certainly not just average either? Can they find immediate impact players in the draft, a problem that will definitely be helped by having two first-round picks?
At this point, the Cowboys just may not want to spend the money to acquire a top tier playmaker through free agency or by trade. But that doesn’t mean they can’t still put together a successful unit. The key, though, is that if they really want to make the leap this year, the team also can’t settle for those closer to the bottom end of the grading scale.
Otherwise, we all may be in for another rough ride in 2026.