With the Dallas Cowboys returning all of their starting offensive players from a season ago, and with the upgrades they’ve made on the defensive side of the ball, this team is primed to be one of the more talented ones in the league right now heading into the 2026 NFL season. But, we all know how quickly that can change.
As talented as the Cowboys are, a simple injury to one of their key players could negatively alter the entire course of their season in the blink of an eye. We’ve all seen this happen
in the past and this year is no exception. In fact, with the way things stand right now there are several of key contributors currently carrying injury concerns.
Today, we wanted to shine the spotlight on players who could unfortunately cause the Cowboys season to start circling the drain if they were to miss just about any amount of time due to injury. We decided to highlight a couple on both sides of the ball to show how disastrous things can be if the injury bug decides to strike.
QB Dak Prescott
In 2020, Prescott started a concerning injury trend that hopefully doesn’t rear it’s ugly head once again in 2026. If the trend continues, we should expect No. 4 to miss multiple games this season, quite possibly putting an end to any Super Bowl aspirations for the Cowboys. With Prescott healthy, Dallas’ offense should be once again one of the best units in the league. But, if Joe Milton or Sam Howell are forced to start for any length of time the offensive production will surely decline.
LT Tyler Guyton
Left tackle is the Cowboys biggest offensive concern heading into the training camp. They absolutely need Guyton to both become more consistent in his play and remain healthy for the entire season. In fact, the offense’s success could hinge on it. If he once again struggles with injuries and consistency, Dallas would then have to turn to Nate Thomas or possibly All-Pro LG Tyler Smith. The latter would force them to reshuffle the OL, weakening the interior. A healthy Guyton would put all of those concerns to rest.
Honorable mention: RB Javonte Williams
An unfortunate knee injury prevented him from making his mark in Denver, but Williams was a much-welcomed surprise last season with the Cowboys. His physical running style complemented Dallas’ high-powered aerial attack perfectly, but unfortunately it also wore him down as the season progressed. They will need to do a much better job managing his workload this year to ensure he’s available for the postseason. That means they need to find someone to spell him for time to time this year, whether it’s in-house or an outside addition.
LB DeMarvion Overshown
Although he’s shown flashes of being a potential special player in his three seasons with the Cowboys, two separate season-ending knee injuries has caused him to miss a total of 32 games. Heading into training camp in the final year of his rookie contract he’s projected to be the starting MLB, arguably the Cowboys biggest question mark on defense. If he can stay healthy he could excel in that role, but if not, it could be disastrous for the entire defense. Dallas unfortunately doesn’t currently have much proven depth at the position.
CB DaRon Bland
There’s a lot of hope Bland can return to the INT machine he once was, but reoccurring foot issues over the past two years cast a spell of doubt he’ll ever return to his old self. With the CB position is in a bit of a flux right now heading into training camp. Dallas is really depending on Bland being a quality starter for them this year. If not, they will be forced to play a lot of young, unproven players, some of which have injury concerns of their own. As the seventh highest-paid CB in the league, playing up to his contract would greatly improve Dallas’ defense.
Honorable mention: OLB Donovan Ezeiruaku
Dallas’ pass rush a season ago was pretty much nonexistent, however, Ezeiruaku showed enough glimpses as a rookie he could take a significant second-your jump. He’s currently working his way back from an offseason torn labrum injury that required surgery, allowing first-round pick Malachi Lawrence to receive some first-team reps in OTAs. Both are expected to add some much-needed juice to the pass rush this year. Expectations however are higher for Ezeiruaku entering year two with the season of experience under his belt.
