The Dallas Cowboys last won the Super Bowl in 1996, when they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17 behind a strong showing from Emmett Smith (two touchdowns) and Larry Brown (two interceptions).
The Cowboys haven't been back to the Super Bowl in the three decades since, but that hasn't stopped their fans from perennially wondering through rose-colored glasses whether this year would be their year.
Dallas hasn't yet delivered on that promise. The Cowboys haven't even made it as far as the NFC championship game, though many will argue the team would have done so at least once had Dez Bryant's catch not been infamously overturned in their 2014 divisional-round matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
Even so, the Cowboys are continuing to get buzz as
a potential contender ahead of the 2026 NFL season. Many will roll their eyes at that notion, pointing toward the franchise's recent playoff struggles – along with its 7-10 record in 2025 – as reasons Dallas is once again being overrated.
But this year, the noise surrounding the Cowboys is justified, and its easy to imagine Dallas emerging as a legitimate Super Bowl contender during Year 2 of coach Brian Schottenheimer's reign. Here's why.
The Cowboys have excellent offensive continuity
The Cowboys may have gone 7-10 and missed the playoffs in 2025, but they still had one of the NFL's best and most consistent offenses.
Dallas ranked second in yards per game (391.9) and seventh in points per game (27.7). Advanced metrics also favored the Cowboys, as they ranked fifth in offensive EPA per play last season, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats.
There's plenty of reason to believe the Cowboys can repeat that success in 2026. Chief among them is that they are returning 10 of their 11 primary offensive starters from last season. The only exception is Jalen Tolbert, who opened the campaign as the Cowboys' No. 3 receiver but eventually ceded snaps to the more productive Ryan Flournoy.
Of course, it's not just continuity among the players that is important. Coaching continuity is as important, as the Philadelphia Eagles reminded NFL fans in 2025. The Eagles returned 10 of 11 starters from their Super Bowl 59-winning team but struggled mightily offensively after Kevin Patullo replaced Kellen Moore as the team's offensive coordinator.
Dallas won't have to overcome the loss of a coordinator or a play-caller. Schottenheimer handles the latter duties, and enjoyed success multitasking in his first year as a head coach, while offensive coordinator Klayton Adams is back for a second year in his role.
That could prove critical in the continued growth and development of Dallas' offense, and also the operational success of the unit as it looks to come out of the gates quickly to open the 2026 NFL season.
The Cowboys have elite talent at the offensive skill positions
Saying the Cowboys have an embarrassment of riches on offense would be a bit of an overstatement. Nonetheless, they have a quality group of skill-position weapons, and it's almost impossible to find a hole within the unit.
It all starts at quarterback, where Dak Prescott has proven to be one of the NFL's most steady talents. He has twice led the NFL in completions over the last three seasons, highlighting his ability to be an accurate distributor of the ball even in a high-volume passing offense.
Prescott benefits from playing with one of the league's best receiver duos, as CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens both thrived in their first season together. Those two All-Pro talents can win in a variety of ways, with Pickens thriving as a contested-catch receiver and Lamb possessing great route-running skills. Add in Flournoy as a consistent, No. 3 option and KaVontae Turpin as a situational speed threat and the receiving corps is deep and talented.
Meanwhile, Javonte Williams emerged as a 1,200-yard rusher in his first season in Dallas and inked an extension because of his strong performance, and Jake Ferguson is one of the NFL's most productive and well-rounded tight ends.
If one is looking to nit-pick, Dallas' depth at running back and tight end could be a point of contention. Malik Davis – the primary backup to Williams – will the the year on IR because of a hip injury while tight end Luke Schoonmaker has never quite blossomed into what the Cowboys had hoped when they selected him in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
One could also make the case that Dallas' offensive line could be slightly weaker than expected with star left guard Tyler Smith set to miss at least the first four weeks of the season with a thumb injury.
But even so, it's hard to complain about the Cowboys' offensive talent and continuity. That will give them a chance to be one of the league's best units in 2026, provided they can stay healthy.
Dallas' defense should be significantly improved in 2026
OK, look, selling the Cowboys offense was an easy task. Doing so on the defensive side of the ball won't be as easy. After all, this unit ranked dead-last in EPA per play last season, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats, while allowing a whopping 30.1 points per game.
As bad as Dallas' defense was, there is reason to expect significant improvement during the 2026 campaign. The team overhauled a large chunk of that unit, which should position it to be better and deeper than it was last season.
The Cowboys spared minimal expense in trying to upgrade each level of the defense. Along the defensive line, they added Rashan Gary, Von Miller and first-round pick Malachi Lawrence to improve its edge rush depth while adding Otito Ogbonnia to start on the interior line.
Dallas also traded for former 49ers linebacker Dee Winters to get a much-needed upgrade next to DeMarvion Overshown. And in the secondary, Cobie Durant was signed to start at cornerback while Jalen Thompson and 11th-overall pick Caleb Downs were added to vastly improve the team's safety depth chart.
Are any of those players going to be superstars? Maybe not, though Downs could certainly blossom into one at the safety position. Still, the lot are competent starters and role players who provide Dallas much more talent than their Micah Parsons-less defense had last season.
And, in truth, the biggest upgrade may come at defensive coordinator. Matt Eberflus struggled during his lone season as Dallas' defensive play-caller. Christian Parker was hired over from the Eagles to coach up the Cowboys' defense. The 34-year-old spent the last two seasons working under Vic Fangio and could bring some of his mentor's influence to Dallas.
If Parker can get the most out of the Cowboys' defense, it should blossom into an average to above-average unit. That may not sound like anything great, but that would be a massive upgrade over the bottom-tier defense the team sported last season.
And given the strength of Dallas' offense, it may only take an average defense to help it go on a deep playoff run in 2026.
Let's not overlook the Cowboys' special teams
The NFL is, more than ever, a three-phase game because of the ever-improving distance of kickers and the league's implementation of the dynamic kickoff.
The Cowboys are well-equipped to thrive in both areas. Brandon Aubrey is one of the best long-distance kickers in NFL history, having made 35 of 44 kicks (79.5%) from 50-plus yards. He routinely takes (and makes) kicks from 60 and beyond, which gives Dallas a nice security blanket for when drives stall out.
Turpin, who has had a kick return of at least 63 yards in all four of his NFL seasons, is one of the NFL's best return men because of his speed and shiftiness. He handled an NFL-high 69 kick returns last year and averaged 26.3 yards per return en route to becoming a second-team All-Pro.
And, finally, punter Bryan Anger is a quality field-flipper. He has averaged 43.4 net yards per punt during his time with Dallas and should continue to put the Cowboys in favorable spots even in the rare instances they stall out outside of Aubrey's field goal range.
The strength of that unit should help make Dallas one of the NFL's most well-rounded teams.
What could be Dallas' potential pitfalls?
Of course, there is a rebuttal to the optimism surrounding the Cowboys. Just because they look like a contender on paper doesn't mean it will happen.
There are plenty of potential pitfalls for Dallas. Most notably, if the team's defense doesn't improve in the manner most are expecting, it will be hard for the Cowboys to seriously challenge some of the other top teams in the NFC.
Speaking of the NFC, the conference doesn't look quite as wide-open as it did last year. The Los Angeles Rams have built a super team that is fully equipped with Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald on defense. The reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks have a similarly strong stop unit and proved they had enough offensively to win a title last season.
Beyond them, the Philadelphia Eagles will represent a tough out within Dallas' own division. And the Detroit Lions, who are facing the NFL's weakest schedule for 2026, could also return to the juggernaut form they demonstrated in 2024 before hitting some roadblocks in 2025.
Still, there's plenty of reason for optimism about what Dallas is building. And if the Cowboys can see their defense make major strides under Parker, they will have a chance to enjoy their deepest playoff run since 1996.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Cowboys are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. For real, this time | Opinion
