The Dallas Cowboys are no strangers to the spotlight. For the third time in the past six seasons, Dallas will open their regular-season slate on Sunday Night Football. This year, it’s a divisional showdown as the Cowboys travel to New York to face off against the Giants.
After some significant offseason changes, optimism is high around the Cowboys coming into this season. While they’ve made some good moves on paper, we’ve yet to see whether it will translate into better play on the field. With that
thought in mind, today we take a look at three causes for concern in Dallas’ Week one matchup against the Giants.
1) Malik Nabers appears to be healthy
When the 2026 regular-season schedule was released back in May, it appeared that the Cowboys may have caught a break catching the Giants in Week 1. After tearing his ACL last September, it seemed unlikely that New York’s star wideout Malik Nabers would be ready to go to start the year.
Flash forward to today, and while he did not participate in preseason action, New York’s top offensive weapon appears to be trending towards playing in the season opener. If he does, slowing him down will be near the top of the priority list for the new-look Cowboys’ defense.
In three career games against the Cowboys, Nabers has been at his best, totaling 29 receptions for 351 yards and two touchdowns. Dallas’ secondary will likely be improved this season, but Nabers is the caliber of player who can make game-changing plays if there is any sort of miscommunication on the back end. The Cowboys’ defensive backs will need to find their footing quickly, or Nabers could make it another long day for Dallas’ defense.
2) Jaxson Dart’s mobility
There was plenty to be impressed by throughout the course of Giants’ quarterback Jaxson Dart’s rookie year. While the team went just 4-8 during his starts, Dart showed plenty of promise, and the Giants are looking for him to take a big step forward this season.
One of the most impressive things to come out of the Ole Miss product’s rookie campaign was his ability to use his legs as a weapon. Dart recorded either 48 or more rushing yards or at least one rushing touchdown in seven of his 12 starts. In New York’s final seven regular-season games, Dart averaged 42 rushing yards per game, with an average of 5.8 Y/A, to go with five rushing touchdowns.
In year two, Dart has a better coaching staff and improved offensive weapons surrounding him, making his mobility even more of a cause for concern. While this is a completely new defensive staff, we’ve seen Dallas struggle to slow down mobile quarterbacks consistently in years past. If they do so again on Sunday night, they very well could be walking out of New York 0-1.
3) Lack of defensive scheme experience + familiarity
If you asked 100 Cowboys fans, it would be hard to find one that does not feel more confident in Dallas’ defensive talent and scheme today than they did at the start of last season. Christian Parker has rejuvenated this Cowboys’ defensive unit, and you could make a solid argument that his hiring was the most impactful move Dallas made during the offseason.
While there is plenty of confidence that Parker can get Dallas’ defense back on track, there is no guarantee they’ll come out firing on all cylinders right out of the gate. A new defensive scheme can cause communication issues, particularly on the back end, something we saw far too many times last season. Playing in their first game as this new-look Cowboys defense, a lack of experience and familiarity with the defensive scheme could pose problems for the unit.
