Cowboys fans are often mocked for believing that every year is their year. That’s a gross exaggeration of the fanbase. But to carry that type of optimism year in, year out you have to have reason to believe that the Cowboys have enough on their roster to keep things interesting most years. That starts with having a healthy Dak Prescott, who, for the first time last season, since taking over as quarterback, the team wasn’t in playoff contention during the penultimate week of the regular season while
he was healthy.
Even after a disappointing year last year, the team has dusted itself off and are in position to make a play at the NFC East crown once again. That means the Cowboys have a pretty good roster. What that also means is that there are high expectations, and that also goes for the players. When reviewing the roster, there are some notable names that, because of the added weight of the team being expected to compete and also their place on the roster, are facing pivotal years in 2026. Here are three players who are facing a do-or-die season already with the Cowboys.
Tyler Guyton
When the Cowboys took Tyler Guyton with the 29th pick in 2024, there was an expectation that he was going to be a project, with some even considering Guyton a reach. However, because the Cowboys had such a reputation for finding elite offensive line talent in the first round of the draft for the better part of the last 15 years, we figured the Cowboys knew better. However, at this point, Guyton has been underwhelming at best. Although he’s only 24 years old, his play up to this point has been alarming.
He commits a lot of penalties and has had many challenges in pass protection, which should be his calling card given his above-average athleticism relative to his size. It doesn’t help that injuries have been another hurdle stunting his development. The team is losing their patience as Guyton has shuffled in and out of the line because of not only injury, but also performance.
As things are, the likelihood of the team picking up his fifth-year option the next offseason is in question, and with the addition of Drew Shelton in the fourth round this year, the Cowboys could already be looking at his replacement in the near future. Sure, it is early in Guyton’s career, but coupling his play thus far with the team’s sky-high hopes, those two things don’t coincide well with one another, and it leaves Guyton with the impetus to produce immediate results.
Marist Liufau
Marist Liufau is probably under the most overt pressure out of any on this list, while at the same time put in somewhat unfair circumstances. Consider all that has happened around him since joining the team. The team has had four different defensive coordinators in each of his four years with the team. That’s a lot to take on while also adjusting to life at the NFL level. Due to the revolving door of leadership he has endured, he has never experienced enough of an opportunity to see the field and make his mistakes to learn from.
Take Shemar James, for example. James was able to play significantly in his rookie season, and while he wasn’t perfect by any means, he gained substantial experience that will help him in his sophomore season with the team. Liufau is being tasked with changing positions to a position that features a veteran edge rusher, not one, but two premium draft picks the team has high hopes for, and a few speed rushers like James Houston and Sam Williams. In short, Liufau needs to blow everyone away in training camp if he hopes to have any shot at a future with the team, or otherwise fall deeper into obscurity with the team if not fall completely off the roster by summer’s end.
Shavon Revel
Is it presumptuous to think that a player drafted in the third round will be an afterthought on the team if he isn’t playing well after only two years? Maybe. Yet, compare that to Tyler Guyton, and you can see why Shavon Revel may also be on borrowed time as well. Unlike Guyton, however, there are way more moving parts that could keep Revel from having a substantial role to fill on the team. The first barrier to Revel is the versatility of top draft pick Caleb Downs. Since Downs will play his traditional safety spot and the nickel, that leaves fewer snaps for nickel corners, and more competition on the outside.
Think about it: When the Cowboys are in nickel personnel, you’ll likely have Caleb Downs, DaRon Bland, Jalen Thompson, and Malik Hooker in the secondary. That leaves one spot outside corner spot for Shavon Revel and his challengers. It’s going to be a battle for him to see the field this year, and he had a rough go of things as a rookie. Plus, the fact that the Cowboys also took Devin Moore for depth in the fourth round leaves Revel’s place in the team’s plans all the more murky.
It’s early but next year has a pretty solid cornerback class as well and you can never rule out premium investment in secondary when your defensive coordinator specializes in the back half of the defense. It’s early for Revel, but the clock looks to be already ticking if he hopes to have a big role with the team in the coming years.
