FRISCO, Texas — With the end of the 2025 season comes the immediate start of an offseason that will likely shape the Dallas Cowboys for years to come. Just one year ago, the club opted to part ways with Mike McCarthy and to install Brian Schottenheimer as head coach and offensive play caller, to great success in the latter area, seeing as the team owned what was often the best and most prolific offense in the entire NFL.
There was an entirely polarity on the defensive side of the ball, however, and fielding the worst unit in the league, and in franchise history, ultimately led to the decision to move on from Matt Eberflus —launching a hunt for a fourth defensive coordinator in as many seasons. That, along with free agency, the 2026 NFL Draft, and several other critical topics, were discussed by Schottenheimer, on a panel that included owner and general manager Jerry Jones and executive vice president and director of player personnel Stephen Jones, in their annual end-of-season press conference on Wednesday.
And below are the biggest takeaways you need to know about:
What is the plan for George Pickens and Javonte Williams?
Wondering about the fate of George Pickens and Javonte Williams? Of course you are, and the outlook, at least from the Cowboys' perspective, sounds promising. The Jones, and Schottenheimer, have continuously made it known both Pickens and Williams "are in the plans" and doubled down heavily on that by outright pointing out they want to sign the young running back "to a multi-year deal" this offseason, and that Pickens is also "a top priority to re-sign".
They plan to meet soon with the agents of both players with the hopes of getting a deal done ahead of the start of free agency in March. - Patrik Walker
With Matt Eberflus gone, what is the status of special teams and its coordinator?
When I posed the question of if the Cowboys would potentially look to move on from special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen and, even if they opt not to, for their plan to fix a special teams unit that went from being the best in the league to one of the worst in the span of just one year, Schottenheimer was clear in stating "the standard is the standard" and that "the standard was not met", also pointing at penalties as a key reason for the unit's demise in 2025.
Jerry Jones stepped in to make it known he "loves Sorensen", then putting the onus onto the players, intimating that although they've not had the end-of-season conversation and evaluation of Sorensen, that there appears to be a solid chance his job is safe. - Patrik Walker
What do the Cowboys view as the biggest positions of need?
Given how the Cowboys defense played all season, it's evident that changes needed to be made following the season. One of those was made on Tuesday with the departure of Eberflus, and now personnel becomes the next question. Stephen Jones pointed to two position groups that Dallas is looking for help at: "I think, obviously, linebacker," Jones said. "We love Overshown, I think he's a core piece of the defense, but certainly we could use some help there at linebacker."
After linebacker, it was the third and final level of the defense in the secondary, both at cornerback and safety: "It's always important to be able to cover the guys. Between injuries, between [rookie CB Shavon] Revel being a little slower getting into the mix coming off his injury from college, he was obviously a little raw… I still think though we need help in the back end." - Tommy Yarrish
Jerry believes best is yet to come for Cowboys from Micah trade
It's been about five months since the Cowboys decided to trade All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers for Kenny Clark and two first round picks. With two first round picks in the next two drafts, Dallas used one of their 2027 selections to get Quinnen Williams and will have two first round picks in the upcoming 2026 draft, and Jerry Jones believes the best from the deal is still ahead for the Cowboys:
"The very best of what we were trying to get involving the Micah Parsons trade is all out there ahead of us," Jones said. "It's all ahead of us. We've got some of it on the field already. We're gonna get more of it on the field and in the draft. The very best of the trade is out there." - Tommy Yarrish
Head coaching experience not a requirement for new DC
The previous five defensive coordinators that the Cowboys have hired have all had NFL head coaching experience in their past before joining Dallas' staff. Will that be a requirement this time around as well? "No, it's not a requirement to have been a head coach," Jerry Jones said. "And yes, it's possible to have a first-timer."
That opens up a lot more doors in terms of potential hires, and the Cowboys are expected to case a wide net in their search. They have not sent requests to interview coaches yet, but should begin to do so later in the week. - Tommy Yarrish
