The 2026 Dallas Cowboys team is just a week away from the start of their 2026 preseason schedule. As we near that date and the midway point of training camp, a couple of things seem to stand out as standards as the Cowboys go through camp.
High intensity is here to stay
Dallas started camp with a level of intensity that fans just haven’t seen in Oxnard in a while; even the practices without pads had some oomph. For an offense that still features plenty of players who played under former head coach Mike McCarthy, that physicality
is particularly noticeable. McCarthy’s teams weren’t necessarily known for bringing that type of edge to training camp, making the change under the Cowboys’ current coaching staff a welcome development.
Of course, intensity in training camp doesn’t automatically translate to success once the regular season begins, but for a team that has spent the offseason emphasizing toughness and accountability, seeing that mentality show up consistently on the practice field is encouraging. For Cowboys fans who have spent the past few seasons asking for a more physical identity, the early returns in Oxnard are certainly worth watching.
Attention to detail is helping the defense
The second noticeable theme has been the defense’s attention to detail. Rather than relying solely on individual talent to make plays, the Cowboys coaches have emphasized getting everyone to execute their assignments and communicate within the scheme.
That is particularly important for a defense that underwent significant changes during the offseason. With new faces throughout the defense and a new defensive coordinator, building cohesion is just as important as generating splash plays everybody misses since Dan Quinn and Micah Parsons left.
Training camp is where details are supposed to be cleaned up. When the pieces on defense and offense are executed correctly, the Cowboys can play faster because players aren’t thinking about where they’re supposed to be. That attention to detail could be one of the biggest factors in determining whether Dallas’ revamped defense is better when the regular season arrives.
