The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2026 offseason with a clear mandate. The defense had to get fixed, and ownership was not planning to drag its feet. Christian Parker landed the defensive coordinator job, and the front office stacked his staff with younger assistants who have been making noise across the league.
But bringing in new voices was only step one. The harder part is sorting through what’s already on the roster and deciding who can execute Parker’s scheme. Free agency kicks off when the new league year begins on Wednesday, March 11. The draft follows shortly after.
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How Dallas handles those windows could reshape what this team looks like when the playoffs roll around. Dan Orlovsky has been vocal about the Cowboys’ ceiling if they land the right pieces on defense.
“The Cowboys are two defensive pieces away from being legit contenders. This defense was obviously historically bad last year. A lot of reasons of the why. They’ve got two really good defensive tackles. They need an edge player and a back end player, that are difference makers,” Orlovsky said on ESPN’s Get Up.
“This offense in Dallas will be a top five, top six offense once again next year, as long as Pickens is there. I’m bullish on the Cowboys. I truly believe, with the new defensive coordinator, in two different making pieces on their defensive side, the Cowboys can be legit contenders.”
The problems from last season weren’t hard to spot. Trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers gutted the pass rush, and the unit never recovered. Kenny Clark and rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku had their moments, but neither could consistently generate the kind of pressure defenses need to survive. Offenses adjusted quickly once they realized the edge wasn’t a threat anymore.
Parker could bring a more aggressive 3-4 approach that’s designed to create interior disruption and give the secondary some cover. That flexibility matters for a young group of defensive backs still working through growing pains.
Adding veterans with playoff experience could give Parker a foundation to build around in the backend.
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