Schottenheimer on Cowboys’ LB equation for 2026, talks ‘green dot’ – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com
The Cowboys see Dee Winters and Jaishawn Barham, both acquired on day two of the draft, as middle linebacker types to support Demarvion Overshown.
Who will be the MIKE (middle) linebacker going forward? That’s anyone’s guess at the moment, because Barham will get the aforementioned shot at the role, but so will Winters, and the team seems fairly high on second-year talent Justin Barron as well, though the latter has an uphill climb to try and leapfrog Barham and Winters for the job.
And, quiet as it’s
kept, the signing of veteran linebacker Curtis Robinson both reunites the former 49er with Winters in Dallas while adding another candidate for the MIKE role, even if for depth, in competition with Barron behind the starters, one could logically surmise.
None of this means the Cowboys are done shopping but, if they are, Schottenheimer feels they’ll be fine as-is.
“I’m comfortable where we are,” he said. “We’re not not looking. We’re not not evaluating. I think adding Dee and Jaishawn, and Curtis Robinson, we’ll get a chance to evaluate these guys once Phase 1 is ended. We’re never closed for business.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got a great group of linebackers and now it’s about training them with Christian and Scott Symons and getting them on the same page about the system we want to run.”
From working to figure out the green dot to solving the equation at middle linebacker, the two things inherently and mostly tethered to one another, it’ll be an interesting summer for Christian Parker’s shiny new defense.
Cowboys’ search for solution to this key role is perfect as is, for now – Reid Hanson, The Cowboys Wire
Dallas has a full-on open competition for who will be their defensive “green dot” in 2026.
Long-term, most people likely think of rookie draft pick Caleb Downs. A highly-touted defensive back from Ohio State, Downs is known as a football savant. He’s wowed coaches with his football acumen throughout his collegiate career and has lived up to his big-brained reputation since joining the Cowboys in April. But Downs is a rookie, and as such, might not be the optimal solution right out of the gate.
Schottenheimer mentioned a different safety who makes plenty of sense in Thompson. Thompson was Dallas’ top hire in free agency and joins the Cowboys with a wealth of knowledge in regard to scheme. He’s similar to Downs in preparedness and versatility and could very easily handle the responsibilities of the green dot on Day 1.
Overshown and Winters, the two linebackers Schottenheimer mentioned, are distinct possibilities as well. Given the position they play, they may even be early favorites to capture the role. Most green dots are worn by linebackers and these two 25-year-olds each have a track record of success under their belts.
Christian Parker is making sure Caleb Downs and the Cowboys defense are set up to win and it can lead to a big turnaround in 2026 – Evan Winter, A to Z Sports
The Cowboys defense lacked basics of fundamentals and communication last season, but are already improving with a whole new coaching staff in these areas.
Brian Schottenheimer lauds Christian Parker’s handling of the coaching staff
Just as a reminder: This is Parker’s first go as an NFL defensive coordinator. He’s never done this before.
But, according to Brian Schottenheimer it doesn’t look that way at practice. Parker’s approach is one that a more-seasoned coordinator would take and that’s a good thing.“When I became a coordinator at 32 I was probably a little bit more of a micro manager [and] it’s not a good thing,” Schottenheimer told reporters. “… I think it shows some of his maturity that, ‘Hey, I’ve trained these coaches on what I want, what I expect, and I’m going to go make sure they’re giving me what I’ve requested.’ But at the same time, it was really cool to see him grab Caleb after Caleb did some of the safety training with with ‘Smitty’, Ryan Smith, Rob Muschamp, and Derek Ansley. To see those guys kind of watch ‘CP’ take Caleb into the nickel stuff and some of the pattern-match stuff and footwork stuff.
“I mean, the guy’s an elite coach, and I told him last night, I said, ‘Hey, you know, you can’t do enough of that.’ Because, again, he is an expert and the guys he’s trained speaks for itself.”
Establishing and upholding a standard is absolutely critical in the NFL.
Cowboys offensive line has a chance to do something they haven’t in a while – Dan Rogers, Blogging The Boys
Pulling off the defensive rebuild complements the team keeping offensive line as a strength.
With no foreseeable shakeups to the starting offensive line, the Cowboys stand a chance of rolling out the same usual suspects again this season, featuring LT Tyler Guyton, LG Tyler Smith, C Cooper Beebe, RG Tyler Booker, and RT Terence Steele.
It is genuinely hard to wrap your head around how rare this level of continuity is for this franchise. You have to go all the way back to the 2014 and 2015 seasons to find the last time the same five guys trotted out for the start of back-to-back years. That group featured LT Tyron Smith, LG Ronald Leary, C Travis Frederick, RG Zack Martin, and RT Doug Free. And even that moment of stability was fleeting. Ronald Leary didn’t even make it through the 2015 season opener before an injury forced him out, paving the way for a young rookie named La’el Collins to step in. Even when they think they have it all figured out, the injury bug can show up and bite them.
Trying to find another instance of back-to-back Week 1 stability leads you down a rabbit hole that honestly doesn’t seem to end anywhere. After digging through archives and scrolling back as far as 1980, it became clear that this just does not happen in Dallas. Even the legendary Great Wall of Dallas, which everyone remembers as a brick wall of consistency during the Super Bowl years of the ’90s, dealt with constant personnel changes. Whether it was a departure in free agency or a training camp battle, someone was always stepping up to fill a new hole in the line.
Daily Discussion Question: How would you feel if the Cowboys didn’t add anybody else between now and training camp?
