Cowboys Coaching Connections Could Shape the 2026 NFL Draft – Cody Warren, Inside The Star
The Cowboys are going to need instant-impact type players in the draft, which means targeting prospects their coaches can get up to speed quickly.
The Georgia Connection Might Be the Biggest One
Two Cowboys assistants bring very recent ties to Georgia.
That means for fans that the Cowboys have coaches who don’t just watch the Georgia film, they worked with some of these players every day.
This is the kind of insight I think matters on draft day. Scouts can evaluate film and athletic testing, but coaches
know things that don’t show up on stat sheets.
Things like who practices the hardest, learns the playbook fastest, leads the locker room, and handles adversity the best.
Those details become extremely valuable once teams start making Day-2 and Day-3 draft decisions.
When it comes to the Georgia Bulldogs, that defense alone sends multiple players to the NFL.
So if the Cowboys start targeting Bulldog prospects later in the draft, it shouldn’t surprise anyone.
How the Rashan Gary trade affects the team’s draft strategy – David Howman, Blogging The Boys
Rashan Gary is the biggest name brand player the Cowboys have added this offseason, yet the need at EDGE is still present.
This is not to say that Gary is a bad player or that the trade was a mistake. In fact, it was a very good deal, and Gary’s consistency as an edge setter in run defense is a big part of that equation. However, it’s pretty clear that Gary derives his greatest pass rushing value when he’s a complement to the main rusher, as he was for Smith and Parsons.
Which brings us to 2026.
Ezeiruaku certainly has the potential to be on the level of Smith and threaten defenses in that manner. His 12.6% pass rush win rate as a rookie was third among Cowboys EDGEs and second among his draft class, behind only Abdul Carter. That’s promising, but it would be unwise for the Cowboys to rely on him reaching his potential this soon, especially as he learns a new scheme.
What that means is the organization is still very much in need of finding answers at EDGE for this upcoming season. At this point in the free agency calendar, that likely means the draft will be their best option. That’s good, because this is a very deep draft class for EDGEs.
Miami’s Rueben Bain and Texas Tech’s David Bailey are considered the top two, and either could potentially fall to Dallas at 12 for various reasons. Miami’s Akheem Mesidor is incredibly accomplished, but his advanced age makes him an option at 12 (and maybe even 20), while Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell, Clemson’s T.J. Parker, and Oklahoma’s R Mason Thomas have all been linked to the Cowboys in mock drafts.
Size doesn’t matter to Cowboys among 5 takeaways from 1st week of FA – K.D. Drummond, The Cowboys Wire
The Cowboys are letting defensive coordinator Christian Parker run the defense his way this season.
Here are five major takeaways that we think speak to the nature of the 2026 campaign the most.
Takeaway No. 1: Christian Parker is unequivocally in charge of Cowboys D
Round 1 goes to Christian Parker.
“The test, for me, is going to be what happens in the draft and free agency. For the last several defensive coordinators; whether it be Eberflus or Zimmer, or Quinn, or any of the people that came before them… Will McClay’s belief in having tall, long secondary players has been a staple in Dallas.
They really don’t go for anybody under 6 feet, they normally like 6-(feet)-2, they like sizable guys when it comes to their secondary. if you took the history of Parker in Philly with Vic Fangio, it’s been nothing but the opposite. The only player they had on their roster in 2025 that was above 6-feet, was Kelee Ringo out of Georgia. He was 6-foot-2, and he was there before Parker got there.
Everybody else… Makuba they drafted last year, 5-11, McWilliams, 5-10. In 2024, Quinyon Mitchell, 6-feet, Cooper DeJean 6-feet. Everybody else they have on their roster, 5-foot-10, 5-foot-10, 5-foot-11. So if there is a shift in the physical profile of Dallas’ secondary, that to me will be the 100%, plant your flag in the ground, things are absolutely different in Dallas moving forward.
Fast forward six weeks to the opening salvo of the offseason.
Safety Jalen Thompson, 5-foot-11, 190 pounds
Safety PJ Locke, 5-foot-10, 202 pounds
Cornerback Cobie Durant, 5-foot-11, 189 pounds
6-foot-3 Juanyeh Thomas wasn’t tendered. 6-foot-2 Malik Hooker had to take a pay cut to stay in Dallas. Parker’s in charge and size no longer matters when it comes to the Cowboys’ D.
Jerry Jones: Cowboys free agency moves give ‘a lot of promise’ – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com
The Cowboys haven’t exactly “busted the budget” to improve on defense in free agency, but the moves they’ve made are solid.
“I don’t know that since we’ve had free agency as we know it today, where it’s really very viable, most teams involved very actively making deals if you will. I don’t know since that has evolved and come about that we’ve ever had this kind of reshaping of an aspect of our team.” Jones said while speaking at the Grand Prix of Arlington on Sunday.
Adding experienced players like OLB Rashan Gary, S Jalen Thompson and CB Cobie Durant to new DC Christian Parker’s defense is only part of the equation that has Jones optimistic about the unit improving in 2026.
“Of course, we actually have touched some offense with a great blocker, but more importantly, what we’ve done on defense,” Jones said. “That plus what we have set up for the draft, plus what we really have coming back from our veteran defensive players that really didn’t play that much last year, injury issues, things like that, gives us a lot of promise.”
When it comes to reconstructing a unit like the Cowboys are having to do, there are a variety of things that need to go right to see the ship steering back in the right direction. Jones knows that, but with all the challenges Dallas faced last season, sees only one direction for the defense to go.
“I’ll tell you, when you have the challenges we had last year, there’s no place to go but up on the defensive side of the ball,” Jones said. “Had we played a lick of defense last year, we would’ve had ourselves, I think, a real playoff run.”
Grading the first wave of Dallas Cowboys free agency: The best and worst moves they’ve made so far – Mauricio Rodriguez, A to Z Sports
Whether it’s a pass rushing outside linebacker or a traditional linebacker, the Cowboys still need bodies in the middle of their defense in the worst way.
The biggest concern: Linebacker not addressed
I’m terrified at what the Cowboys LB room right now, which currently counts with DeMarvion Overshow, Shemar James, and Justin Barron. Out of those three, only Overshown is starting-caliber candidate for Week 1.
The Cowboys took swings in free agency at Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker, and Devin Lloyd but walked away with none of them. Now, it seems like their only shot at landing a true difference-maker is via the trade market or the NFL Draft.
From Day 1 of the offseason, the Cowboys have admittedly looked at linebacker as one of their biggest needs. Failing to secure one in free agency will affect their grade.
3 more thoughts
Dealing Osa Odighizuwa away really hurts the Cowboys offseason in my book. I’m open to changing my mind if they make another trade using the third-round draft pick they got for a ready-to-play veteran but otherwise, losing one of your best defenders for a third-round pick doesn’t fit Dallas’ mindset of winning now.
