Mailbag: Does defense need a top tier player ?

(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)

Can this defense have a successful rebuild if the free agent signings only include good depth pieces? Or is the only way to turn this defense around depend on a top tier player? – Juan Villareal*/Bowling Green, OH*

Nick: I think "good depth pieces" is exactly what this team needs. You can argue if the Super-Bowl winning Seahawks have a top-tier defensive player, but it certainly looked like they had about 8-9 really good players that play together. I'm sure there are a lot of ways to be successful but for this team and this season, I don't even know what a "successful rebuild" looks like.

I say that because we all know the strength of this team. The offense was great last. year and although every year is different, the pieces are there to do it again. I don't seen anything that includes a healthy Dak, strong running backs and tight ends, with a talented O-line and the two stud receivers in Lamb and Pickens, that isn't elite once again.

So on defense, just be OK. I think we all agree the goal is to be better than that, but knowing what we know about the offense, just an OK, average, middle-of-the-road defense probably has the Cowboys in the playoffs last year. Even Jerry said it last weekend that had the Cowboys "played a lick of defense" it probably would've been a playoff team. I think Quinnen Williams is a top-tier player and you've got some really good players in Kenny Clark, DaRon Bland and maybe this safety Jalen Thompson can be in that next group. There are some talented players here and if Christian Parker can figure out a way to scheme up some success, I think the tools are here to be balanced again.

Kurt: Nate Newton has shared a theory on our Hangin' With the Boys podcast that when building a great defense, at the very least you've got to have one A-plus player and a whole lot of B-plus guys surrounding him. The problem with the Cowboys in 2025 is they didn't get their A-plus player, Quinnen Williams, until midway through the season, and he was largely on the field with, well, too many in the C range and below.

So the Cowboys will at least enter the 2026 campaign with Williams anchoring the defensive line. That's a good start. Now, will players like Kenny Clark, DaRon Bland, Rashan Gary and Jalen Thompson, who in the past have displayed B-plus or better talent, reach those levels again in Christian Parker's defense? Will those such as DeMarvion Overshown, Donovan Ezeiruaku and Shavon Revel stay healthy and reach the even A-grade possibilities they've teased us with?

Can the team also acquire other contributors who may not be in the top tier but are certainly not just average either? Can they find immediate impact players in the draft, a problem that will definitely be helped by having two first-round picks?

At this point, the Cowboys just may not want to spend the money to acquire a top tier playmaker through free agency or by trade. But that doesn't mean they can't still put together a successful unit. The key, though, is that if they really want to make the leap this year, the team also can't settle for those closer to the bottom end of the grading scale.

Otherwise, we all may be in for another rough ride in 2026.