Talking through the AFC teams’ free agencies with NFL executives was wild, but the NFC run produced pure disbelief. Three different executives from three rival teams stopped trying to analyze the Cowboys’ master plan and simply started laughing. Dallas handed the defensive keys to first-time coordinator Christian Parker but left him without a true MIKE linebacker to run the system. They opted to stack the edge with Gary, who carries 46.5 career sacks, rather than fixing a run defense that opponents routinely shred.
“There is nothing about what they have done that I can say, ‘That makes sense.’ That’s a grab bag of, ‘We don’t know what we’re doing.’ Why are you doing these deals?”
— Anonymous NFL Executive, NFC Rival
Winning in the trenches dictates January football. The Cowboys watched their defensive interior crumble last season, yet ownership prioritized flashy perimeter acquisitions. Taking on Gary’s contract eats precious cap space. Paying Thompson addresses the secondary but leaves the linebackers dangerously thin. I sat in the press box late last season and watched opposing running backs hit the second level completely untouched. The turf at AT&T Stadium basically rolled out a red carpet for them. Fixing that required immediate action.
Instead, Dallas constructed a roster that looks heavy on the edges and hollow in the middle. Other NFC contenders operated with precision. The Rams paid Trent McDuffie to lock down their secondary. The 49ers kept offensive weapons fully stocked. Dallas just created more questions.
Dallas walks onto a razor wire heading into the 2026 NFL Draft. They desperately need a starting middle linebacker who handles green-dot duties from day one. Relying on a rookie to call defensive adjustments for a first-year coordinator spells absolute disaster against elite quarterbacks. If Dallas misses on their early-round picks, their defense will face the exact same physical beatdowns they endured last January. Rival teams see the blood in the water. They know attacking the middle of the Cowboys’ defense remains the easiest path to victory.
