Cowboys have 3 players that could evolve in 2026

As we gear up for OTAs that start next week, the Dallas Cowboys seem to be drama free at the moment, and that is a great thing for all of us fans, but also the players who just need to have an offseason focused on football for once.

Dallas seems to have most of the roster filled, and as of now, pretty much have a good understanding of what the projected depth chart looks like as of now.

Still, a few things will change and with that, the Cowboys have a handful of players who are on the verge of having a breakout year in 2026, and they will be needed to help on both sides of the football.

Ryan Flournoy

The first one is pretty straightforward. The guy who I think will have the best year out of these three will be Ryan Flournoy.

Former Cowboys WR Jalen Tolbert is headed to the Miami Dolphins, according to @Schultz_Report. Tolbert was in the No. 3 WR mix for Dallas entering last season, but Ryan Flournoy made the most of his opportunities

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) March 13, 2026

Jalen Tolbert is gone, and he is the clear-cut no. 3 guy on the depth chart behind CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.

Flournoy last season had 40 catches for 475 yards and four touchdowns. I expect him to double that with ease this season. He is going to get so many favorable matchups with Lamb and Pickens on the outside.

He has a chance to get over 1K yards, but let’s just hope that he stays healthy and proves that he can be productive again this season and look for him to have his best year as a pro in 2026.

Donovan Ezeiruaku

On the defensive side of the ball, a guy that will not have a better opportunity than this season is Donovan Ezeiruaku.

For the third year in a row, unless they re-sign Clowney, they are going to have a new sack leader on the team.

Micah Parsons led the team before last year, since he was drafted in 2021, Clowney led the team last year, and now with him on the verge of being unsigned, Dallas is going to have another team leader.

Ezeiruaku showed plenty of promise over 17 games last season. He notched two sacks and 36 pressures in total, with the latter stat ranking 53rd among edge rushers in the entire NFL.

He can prove a point this season and be a breakout guy and I think on the defense he is going to have to be with Dallas not having a true dominant pass rusher on the roster as of today.

Jadeveon Clowney recorded 8 1/2 sacks and 41 tackles while appearing in 44 percent of the overall defensive snaps for the Cowboys last year. The cowboys are still looking for pass rush help. No rookie is going to give that type of efficiency or production. Yet, the Cowboys, as of… https://t.co/fS9pZS2vZx

— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) April 1, 2026

Look for Ezeiruaku to push for the sack lead if he can be constant enough, but that is the key word. He needs to be constant.

Shavon Revel Jr.

The offensive side of the ball is pretty well set, and outside of who will be the backup running back heading into the season, all the questions on that side of the ball are pretty well taken care of.

The offensive line is a bit weird also right now, but nobody there is really in question outside of Steele.

Either way, the defensive side of the ball is where this team needs most of the players to evolve and have a solid year.

Shavon Revel is another guy that Dallas is going to need to take that next step in the secondary.

Revel still struggled badly a year ago when he started playing after his torn ACL. He was projected as a first round pick from East Carolina, but the talent level might just be too much for him. This year will tell us all we need to know.

Is Shavon Revel Jr. vs Cobie Durant going to be a true "break the pool stick" situation for CB2?@Mr4thAndLong | #Dallascowboys pic.twitter.com/PdhQQriJwx

— DLLS Cowboys (@DLLS_Cowboys) May 4, 2026

He allowed three touchdowns in just seven games, and gave up a passer rating of 126.1. At Pro Football Focus, he was rated with a grade of 35.2, which was No. 112 out of the 112 corners PFF graded last season.

The Dallas defense has the right man running the defense now for that secondary in Christian Parker. He has shown that he can coach those guys in his time with the Broncos and the Eagles.

Dallas has plenty of guys that need to step up, but these three are the ones that jump off the screen for me when looking at the depth chart. Let’s see how this summer goes.