With the 2026 draft fast approaching, roster needs are the topic of our times. The Dallas Cowboys certainly have theirs, and some far more needy than others. But the draft isn’t just about filling holes, with potential opportunities to upgrade spots also coming. Today, we’ll look at Dallas’ existing talent at quarterback, running back, receiver, and tight end to see where they can afford to stand pat, and where they might have to bite if a talented prospect falls in their lap.
We all have our opinions
about how good our current players are. Dak Prescott’s value is debated daily, and others like Javonte Williams, George Pickens, and Jake Ferguson have been hot topics this offseason. How you feel about these and other guys likely has a big say in how what you’d want Dallas to do if Jeremiyah Love falls to the 12th pick, or Kenyon Sadiq is there at #20. Any opportunity to get better has to be considered, or else you could quickly start reaching for needs.
We’ll hit the offensive line, defense, and specialists in articles soon to come. This one focuses on the offensive skill positions where our current starters and key role-players rank in the grand scheme and just how enticed Dallas should be with potential upgrades.
The Elite
WR CeeDee Lamb
WR George Pickens
Neither is considered the best WR in all of football, but Lamb and Pickens are arguably the best starting duo. Either would be the franchise receiver for many teams, and the Cowboys are lucky to have them both. While Pickens’ long-term future remains a mystery, he should at least be back in 2026 and combine with Lamb to form the strength of this offense.
Very Good
QB Dak Prescott
RB Javonte Williams
We can quibble about his postseason performances all day, but it’s tough to argue that Prescott isn’t one of the better starting QBs in football. He has the stats, win totals, and overall reputation as a leader to put him in the league’s upper half. Finding an upgrade over him in the draft would be difficult, especially as long as Dallas keeps winning its way out of top-five picks.
Williams was a top-10 rusher last year in about every measurable way. Total yards, yards per carry, touchdowns, ball security, and even the eye test: just a complete résumé for a superior performer. There are reasonable questions about sustainability given his age (soon to turn 26), injury history, and getting a new contract, but the same Williams we saw last year could easily start for a championship team.
Good Enough
FB Hunter Luepke
WR Ryan Flournoy
WR KaVontae Turpin
TE Jake Ferguson
TE Brevyn Spann-Ford
Some of these rankings are relative to their roles on the team. For example, Turpin would be problematic as WR3. But as the fifth guy, and especially with his gadget utility all around? Not bad at all. The same goes for Spann-Ford as an emerging backup TE – quality depth in the third spot and an intriguing prospect if he passes Luke Schoonmaker this year.
Speaking of TE, some might argue that Jake Ferguson should be a tier lower as the starter. But while not as flashy as we remember from a few years ago, he’s still a highly productive target. You could do better with a more explosive guy, especially with all of the attention that Lamb and Pickens command. But you could also do a lot worse.
And while we’re all excited about Flournoy after last year’s breakout, WR3 is still a major position in the modern NFL. He is a beneficiary of what the top-two guys are doing, and how he’d perform consistently as a starter remains to be seen. The Cowboys would not be wrong to look at strengthening their position there, especially if Pickens isn’t getting a long-term deal.
Causes for Concern
QB Sam Howell
QB Joe Milton III
RB Jaydon Blue
RB Malik Davis
RB Phil Mafah
WR Jonathan Mingo
WR Parris Campbell
WR Traeshon Holden
TE Luke Schoonmaker
You hope that one of Howell or Milton will be a quality backup, but we won’t know until we see more. There are reasonable doubts about both. This is less likely to prompt Dallas to draft anyone of consequence, though, and more just keep Cooper Rush or some other veteran on speed dial.
While Blue, Davis, and Mafah are all interesting options to fill out the RB depth chart and be part of the rotation, any of them would make you very nervous as a full-time starter. Unless Blue or Mafah make big developmental gains this offseason, you may still want to think about a well-rounded backup to Williams who could handle the bell cow role for a long stretch of games.
Those WR options are scary. Mingo and Campbell feel like valueless retreads and Holden still has to prove that he belongs on an NFL roster. They may be fine at the bottom of your depth chart, but you’re arguably needing one of them to be WR4: the primary backup to your big three. It’s hard to trust any of them for such a big job right now.
How you feel about Schoonmaker depends on where he is on the depth chart. If he’s still TE2, that seems like a weak point. But if Spann-Ford evolves and claims that job, Schoonmaker as your third TE seems like good depth. But even then, he’s a lame duck player on the final year of his rookie deal. A younger guy with more upside would be preferable.
So, what does all this mean in terms of the 2026 draft?
The best news from all this is that your starters QB, RB, and WR are all in the upper tiers. Yes, there are better guys out there at each spot, but the collective talent of those four makes for incredible offensive potential. It even makes up for the less exciting talent at TE, or some of your weak spots on the offensive line (next article). Of course, as we learned last year, it’s not enough to make up for all-time lousy defense. But hopefully, they’ll get more help from the other side of the ball in 2026.
Unfortunately, depth is also universally concerning here. Lose one of those four guys, even Ferguson, and Dallas is in rough territory. Some of you may say, “all NFL teams are in trouble if they lose their starters,” but that’s always truer for some than others. For Detroit in recent years, going from Jahmyr Gibbs to David Montgomery is a far different thing than going to Malik Davis as RB2. We may be excited about Ryan Flournoy as WR3, but remember when Cedrick Wilson was WR4 in 2021?
Still, the top-heavy nature of these positions means you can probably write them off for the first-round picks. Unless it’s an extreme BPA situation, like WR Carnell Tate or RB Jeremiyah Love falling to #12, or TE Kenyon Sadiq falling to #20, the Cowboys will likely work on their bigger defensive needs. If any early pick goes to offense it would likely be a tackle, given the issues there with your starters and depth.
But once you get Day 2 and the 92nd pick, many more offensive options come into play. Some will still want defense, as two first-round picks aren’t enough to fix all of the Cowboys’ current problems. But depending on the runs and depth at certain positions over others, the third round may offer you a significant addition at RB, WR, or TE who could immediately work into the rotation and even claim a starting role within a few years.
And while it is a weak QB class overall, you never know how the scouts and coaching staff might feel about some of the Day 3 options. Prescott isn’t getting any younger, and neither Howell nor Milton feels like a long-term asset at this point. Dallas has a good bit of Day 3 capital, so what if they’re high on a Cole Payton or Drew Allar? Would adding them to your QB pipeline hurt?
As we get into the other parts of the roster, we’ll see how more worrisome situations are driving the consensus draft strategy. Much still depends on how the dominoes fall and what’s available to you in the moment, and who comes calling with trades. Still, teams generally try to avoid redundancy by not adding talent to already-strong positions. The draft is your last big chance to shore up weaknesses, and the Cowboys can at least say they don’t have many of them with their offensive skill players.
