NFC East Offseason Power Rankings Part 2: Dallas Cowboys (#3)

The Dallas Cowboys finished 2025 at 7-9-1, a record that sounds mediocre until you realize their defense allowed 30.1 points per game — the worst in the NFL and the second-worst mark in the franchise's 66-year history. Only the inaugural 1960 team that went 0-11-1 was worse.

That's the duality that defined Dallas last season and now shapes everything about their offseason. The offense hummed. Brian Schottenheimer's unit ranked seventh in scoring and second in total yards. Dak Prescott threw for 4,552 yards (third in the NFL), George Pickens racked up 1,429 receiving yards (also third), and Javonte Williams rushed for 1,201 yards. CeeDee Lamb added 1,077 receiving yards despite missing three games.

The problem was never the offense. The problem was a defense so bad that Dallas fired coordinator Matt Eberflus mid-season. And that's exactly where Jerry Jones has focused his offseason capital.

Defensive Overhaul: The Right Idea, Finally

Dallas hired Christian Parker — poached from the Philadelphia Eagles' coaching staff — as defensive coordinator. That's a significant move. Parker comes from a Vic Fangio tree that produced the league's best defense in Philadelphia, and he brings a 3-4 scheme with multiple fronts that should better utilize the talent Dallas is assembling.

The headline acquisition is edge rusher Rashan Gary, acquired from the Green Bay Packers for a 2027 fourth-round pick. Gary had 7.5 sacks in his first eight games of 2025 before going completely silent — zero sacks over his final nine games including the playoffs. The Packers were ready to move on, and Dallas got him at a discount: a revised two-year, $32 million deal with $16 million guaranteed.

Is Gary a game-changer? Probably not. But he's one of nine players with at least five sacks in each of the past six seasons, and he generated the 10th-most quarterback pressures (280) and 13th-most quarterback hits (97) in the NFL over the past five years. For a team that desperately needed pass rush after trading Micah Parsons to Green Bay, he fills a gap — even if he doesn't replace what Parsons was.

Secondary Rebuild: Smart Spending

The biggest splash was safety Jalen Thompson, who landed a three-year, $33 million deal — Dallas' first significant free agent splash since signing Brandon Carr back in 2012. Thompson brings nine career interceptions and five years as a full-time starter in Arizona. He's a communicator in a secondary that desperately needs one, and at 27, he's entering his prime.

Cornerback Cobie Durant arrives from the Rams on a one-year, $5.5 million deal. He started 39 of 61 games over four seasons and posted seven interceptions with two pick-sixes. With DaRon Bland rehabbing from foot surgery and questions lingering around young corners Shavon Revel Jr. and Caelen Carson, Durant provides experienced insurance.

Safety P.J. Locke (from Denver) adds veteran depth behind Thompson and Malik Hooker. None of these are blockbuster signings, but they're smart, targeted additions that address the defensive secondary without breaking the bank.

The Draft Capital Advantage

Here's where Dallas gets interesting. The Cowboys hold two first-round picks — their own at No. 12 and the No. 20 pick acquired from Green Bay in the Parsons trade. That's real ammunition. However, they're missing a second-round pick (sent to the Jets for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams) and a third-rounder, leaving Day 2 bare.

With Williams already locked in on the interior alongside Kenny Clark and Jay Toia, the Cowboys can target edge rusher and cornerback with those first-rounders. If they nail both picks, this defense could look dramatically different by September.

The Concerns

For all the defensive activity, there are real questions. The Cowboys still need a middle linebacker. Edge rusher depth beyond Gary and the re-signed Sam Williams (one sack last year coming off a torn ACL) is thin. And the entire defensive overhaul depends on Parker successfully installing a new scheme with mostly new personnel.

On offense, the franchise tag on Pickens and the Javonte Williams re-signing (three years, $24 million) keep the core together, but long-term extensions for Pickens and kicker Brandon Aubrey remain unfinished business.

The Verdict: C+

Dallas gets credit for finally acknowledging that the defense needed a total teardown. The Parker hire is smart. The Thompson signing fills a real need. The Gary trade was solid value. But this is a team that went 7-9-1 with the league's worst defense, traded away its best defensive player in Parsons, and is now betting on mid-tier free agents and draft picks to fix a unit that allowed 30 points a game.

The offensive foundation is strong — Prescott, Lamb, Pickens, and Williams give Dallas legitimate firepower. But until the defense proves it can hold up its end, the Cowboys are a team that can score 30 and still lose. We've seen that movie before in Dallas.

The two first-round picks give them a path forward, but paths and results are different things. For now, the Cowboys sit at No. 3 in these NFC East offseason power rankings — above the Giants, below Washington and Philadelphia. The draft will determine whether they climb or fall.

Up next: Part 3 — Washington Commanders (#2)