We will start this Dallas Cowboys defense projection with one ugly truth.
Last year was terrible.
Dallas gave up 30.1 points per game, dead last in the NFL. They allowed 377.0 total yards per game, which ranked 30th. The pass defense got cooked for 251.5 yards per game, also dead last. Even the run defense was below average, giving up 125.5 rushing yards per game.
So no, I’m not going to sit here and pretend this defense was one lucky bounce away from being good. It was bad, really bad.
The good part? Dallas did not treat it like a minor problem this offseason. The Cowboys changed the whole feel of the defense. They got heavier up front, added some pass rush, got younger at linebacker, and brought in more range on the back end.
Now we get to the real question.
How much better can the Cowboys defense be in 2026?
I think they can make a big jump. I’m not talking about top-five, but a defense that’s capable of punching back instead of getting dragged all over the yard.
Dallas Finally Built a Real Front
The biggest reason I’m buying improvements up front with the scheme change.
Dallas is shifting toward a heavier 3-4 defensive front, and I love the fit. This defense needed more size and strength. It needed a guy who could line up, eat blocks, and quit letting offenses run downhill.
The foundation is simple:
Quinnen Williams, Otito Ogbonnia, and Kenny Clark.
In this front, Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark make sense as the big defensive ends while Otito Ogbonnia fills the middle.
That gives Dallas some beef on the line of scrimmage.
No more getting pushed around snap after snap, or asking linebackers to make miracle plans with offensive linemen climbing clean to the second level. This front should help Dallas muddy up the run game and make teams earn their yards.
Around here, we call that grown-man football.
The Run Defense Should Take the Biggest Step
Dallas gave up 125.5 rushing yards per game last season. That will not work if we want the Cowboys to be a playoff team, or more.
With the new front, I think the run defense has the clearest path to improvement.
A 3-4 front with Williams, Ogbonnia, and Clark should keep bodies off the linebackers. That’s huge for Jaishawn Barham, who I like as the middle linebacker in this defense.
Barham should be able to play downhill, fill gaps, and bring some thump to the middle. He doesn’t have to be cute with his play, just play behind the big guys and go hit someone.
The linebacker room has more thumpers and athletes than just Barham. Dee Winters, DeMarvion Overshown, Marist Liufau, Shemar James, Justin Barron, Curtis Robinson, and Langston Patterson are all capable of paying sideline to sideline and laying the wood.
I don’t think this group will turn the Cowboys’ defense into the 85′ Bears overnight, but I do think the run defense can climb from 125.5 rushing yards per game to around 100 to 115.
That would put them in the top-15 conversation against the run and after last season, I’ll take that all day.
Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku Set the Edge
The edge group is where this defense starts to get nasty.
Rashan Gary gives Dallas a proven veteran with power, pressure, and some attitude off the edge. Dallas needed someone who could set the tone, win one-on-one, and make quarterbacks feel the heat without needing the entire defense designed to create pressure looks.
On the other side, Donovan Ezeiruaku brings the young legs and juice in a potential year two breakout.
I like this pairing.
Gary gives the team strength and a more established presence. Ezeiruaku gives you bend, burst, and upside. In a 3-4 defense, those outside linebackers have to do more than just fly up field. They have to set the edge, rush with authority, and make offenses account for them.
Behind those two are a stable of pass rushers who are more than capable. Dallas rookie first-round pick Malachi Lawrence, Sam Williams, James Houston, Tyrus Wheat, Isaiah Land, and Marist Liufau.
That’s how you keep pressure coming for all four quarters.
Caleb Downs Gives the Secondary a New Feel
The pass defense was the biggest mess last season.
Dallas allowed 251.5 passing yards per game, dead last in the league. Teams didn’t have to overthink this defense, just drop back, find space, and what for a secondary player to be out of position.
That has to change, and Caleb Downs is the biggest piece to make the change happen.
I know he’s a rookie, but I’m not treating him like some long-term project. Downs has the instincts and range Dallas has needed badly. He can clean up some of the mistakes, help disguise looks, and make the back end feel less chaotic.
Throw in Jalen Thompson and PJ Locke, and the safety room has more experience and flexibility. Malik Hooker, Markquese Bell, Alijah Clark, and Julius Wood give Dallas more options behind them.
Corner is still a spot I’m watching closely, but there is more competition now. DaRon Bland is the key. If Bland plays like the guy we are used to seeing, everything else gets easier.
Behind him, Dallas has Cobie Durant, Derion Kendrick, Caelen Carson, Devin Moore, Trikweze Bridges, Corey Ballentine, Josh Butler, Reddy Steward, and Shavon Revel Jr.
The secondary isn’t fixed, but it’s getting closer.
The pass rush has to help them out, the safeties have to communicate, and the corners need to make tackles.
My Cowboys Defense Projection for 2026
Here is where I land with the numbers.
Cowboys 2026 Defensive Projections
That’s progress.
Dallas doesn’t need to become the best defense in football to make this season look different. They just need to stop giving up 30 a week like it’s normal.
If they get that number closer to 25 points per game, the whole team changes. The offense gets some breathing room, the script changes, and the Cowboys aren’t playing from behind or living in shootouts every Sunday.
First step?
Get out of the basement.
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