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It’s been two full seasons since the Dallas Cowboys had a winning record and earned a playoff berth. But with a lauded draft class and some notable offseason moves, will the Cowboys regain their footing and make the postseason again?
Don’t count on that happening, or at least that’s what Colin Cowherd thinks. Cowherd said in Tuesday’s edition of “the pack“ who realized the difficulties of Dallas’ schedule and doesn’t believe it matches what bettors have as projected win totals for the 2026 season.
“Over/Under is 8.5 wins. I’ll take the under,” Cowherd said. “I think they’re a 7-10 or 8-9 team. I like their draft, I like their personnel, but last year they played the third-easiest schedule and won seven games, and their eight games against teams with a winning record, they finished 1-7.”
While the full schedule for the 2026 NFL season has not been announced, the Cowboys know who they will face this fall. They have eight games against teams that made the playoffs in 2025, including the Philadelphia Eagles (twice), Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams. One of their designated home games will be played in Brazil, facing a Baltimore Ravens team that had a bad year in 2025. They also have to travel to Green Bay to face the Packers and face the Texans in Houston. And that’s all before mentioning their other four matchups against division foes, as the New York Giants and Washington Commanders appear poised to compete for the playoffs in 2026.
The Cowboys finished their 2025 campaign 7-9-1 in the first year of the Brian Schottenheimer era, showing some improvement from Mike McCarthy’s final season as head coach in 2024. Schottenheimer was promoted to head coach in the 2025 offseason after two seasons as the team’s offensive coordinator, helping quarterback Dak Prescott to another impressive statistical season (4,552 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, 10 interceptions).
Dallas recently compiled an impressive draft class that included a pair of first-round picks (Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, UCF running back Malachi Lawrence) along with some potential mid-round standouts (Michigan running back Jaishawn Barham, Penn State offensive tackle Drew Shelton, Florida cornerback Devon Moore and Alabama running back LT Overton). In a year when defensive depth was needed, Dallas took advantage early, and their decision to trade up and draft Downs was widely praised.
FOX Sports’ Rob Rang’s draft grades analysis for Dallas was positive, with a long-term view that their new defensive look has potential.
“With two first-round picks to play with following last year’s Micah Parsons trade, it was clear the Cowboys had the potential to be active in this draft, but they were even more flexible than expected, trading aggressively to nab star safety Caleb Downs at No. 11 and regaining picks by moving back and still getting an explosive running back in Malachi Lawrence at No. 23.” Sonó wrote.
After trading Micah Parsons to the Packers last August for two first-round picks, the Cowboys will need their draft class and the impact of key offseason moves, such as the franchise tagging of wide receiver George Pickens, to help surpass their projected win total of 8.5 wins.
Cowherd acknowledged that thanks to those moves, Dallas has a solid and deep roster. However, he doesn’t believe the Cowboys have the top-tier talent to make the playoffs in 2026.
“I think their roster is better than we think, but their schedule is brutal and they haven’t shown the ability under Brian Schottenheimer to win consistently against better quarterbacks. If you look at the Cowboys and think, ‘I like what they’re doing,’ you have to look at the schedules.”
