FRISCO, Texas – Just about that time of year again, the reveal of the 2026 NFL schedule, where some of us around here can begin planning out the rest of the year.
According to Mike North, NFL vice president of broadcast, the schedule for the past five seasons has been released the second week of May, which formally would mean next week between the likely dates of May 12-14. Last year the schedule officially came out on Wednesday, May 14. But then North issued a "but," pointing out postponing until the third week in May, but no later, is "firmly on the table" since negotiations for five games still are ongoing with the potential NFL streaming partners.
So don't hold your breath … yet.
But hey, we have known since the end of the Cowboys' 7-9-1 season in 2025 just who the team's 2026 opponents will be, just not the order, dates, times and networks airing the games. So thought maybe we should have a little refresher in-service to remind just who the Cowboys' other 11 opponents will be, along with the two games each, home and away, against their three NFC East rivals, Eagles, Giants and Commanders.
So here you go, starting with the other six homes games: Jacksonville, Tennessee, Baltimore (in Rio de Janeiro), Arizona, San Francisco and Tampa Bay. The Cowboys season will also feature five away games in the uneven 17-game schedule: Green Bay, Houston, Indianapolis, Seattle and the Los Angeles Rams.
The rotation breakdown has Dallas playing the NFC West, the AFC South and the second-place finishers from the NFC South and North matching the Cowboys' second-place finish in the East. And this year in the odd number of games, the Cowboys drew the Ravens, the AFC North second-placers, at home, although we already know away from home in Brazil.
High interest in the order annually surrounds just who the Cowboys open the season with and where; who their Thanksgiving Day opponent is; how many games will be nationally televised; how many cold-weather road games are scheduled; and as we learned the hard way last year with the Cowboys playing at Washington on Christmas Day, just where and when they will play around Christmastime again, as this year the 25th falls on a Friday.
But here is what we do know, no matter the order of games. The Cowboys will play eight times against teams that finished the 2025 season with winning records: Eagles 11-6 (twice), Jaguars 13-4, Packers 9-7-1 (Cowboys accounting for the 1), Seahawks 14-3, Texans 12-5, Rams 12-5 and 49ers 12-5, all eight of those 2025 playoff opponents, too.
Then there are four games against division winners: Eagles (2), Seahawks and Jaguars; two more against conference title-game qualifiers: Seahawks and Rams from the NFC; along with one game against the NFC Conference and Super Bowl champion Seahawks.
And proving there always is a chance, neither of the 2025 season Super Bowl LX teams qualified for the 2024 playoffs.
Well, can't wait, hopefully not for long.
- Return To Sender: Strange rule in the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement. For the Cowboys, the team's draft choices and undrafted free agents participated this past weekend in the rookie minicamp, arriving on Thursday for the three-day session running Friday through Sunday. But by the agreed NFL rules with the NFLPA, those players are not allowed to stay on campus to participate in this week's strength and conditioning workouts, combined with meetings. Now didn't have to go home, but they couldn't stay here, er, work out at the facility. But come on back next week, guys. They likely will arrive at the living quarters on Sunday, May 10, and begin workouts with the team on Monday, May 11. Makes you want to shake your head, no?
- Dotting Green: So many seem preoccupied with just who will be wearing the Green Dot on defense. You know, the guy with the coach-to-player helmet hearing device. But look, if you aren't hard of hearing and have at least a five-second retention rate, you, too, in the huddle could repeat the call from defensive coordinator Christian Parker. Now normally that responsibility relies on the middle linebacker or generally the sub-linebacker if swapped out on the nickel. But as with the offense, and that falls on the ears of the quarterback, the communication device is cut off with 15 seconds remaining on the play clock. So no matter who is repeating the defensive play call, checks at the line of scrimmage usually can fall on a linebacker or even a safety. With so much competition going on at those two positions, as head coach Brian Schottenheimer has said, numerous guys will be trained this offseason and during training camp for Green Dot responsibility. And look, it's not like the Green Dot guy is being asked to recite the Gettysburg Address in five seconds. I think.
- Tip Of The Cap: Pointed this out last week and see a few more are jumping aboard since Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and COO Stephen Jones have pointed out how the Cowboys have turned the capital acquired in the Micah Parsons trade to Green Bay into numerous players. But a huge, overlooked benefit, too, coming from that trade is the amount of salary cap money being preserved, not having to pay the contractually unhappy Parsons what Green Bay did on the restructured four-year, $186 million contract, averaging $46.5 million a year. Instead of paying one guy all that money, the Cowboys now have enough cap space to handle the hefty contracts of Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams, Rashan Gary, the George Pickens franchise tag, the second first-round draft choice Malachi Lawrence, the re-signings of kicker Brandon Aubrey and running back Javonte Williams, trading for linebacker Dee Winters during the draft and having the capital to spend in unrestricted free agency on the likes of Jalen Thompson, Cobie Durant, P.J. Locke and deal with the $37 million in dead money counting on the 2026 cap for the retired Zack Martin, the traded Osa Odighizuwa and the released Trevon Diggs. Remember, every million counts.
- Day Light: Seems everyone has pitched in on the incredible fortune of the Cowboys being able to draft Ohio State safety Caleb Downs as late as the 11th pick in the first round. Well, how about this recently from his Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day on the two-time All-American do-all safety: "Just sitting there as a coach, when you see some guys come off the board in front of somebody like Caleb Downs, it just makes you think, 'I wonder where they're going to be in five to 10 years, looking back on this draft, and if they have any regrets.' But I know the Cowboys got a great one."
- Million Dollar Baby: Old-time saying when making a million dollars meant something big. Now, that's peanuts. Downs slotted rookie contract is four years, $28.95 million, uh, all guaranteed, with a $17.5 million signing bonus and a $5.2 million cap hit. That would be the highest rookie contract in franchise history.
- Page 2 Items: Sure glad to hear the NFL and the NFL Referees Association are nearing a CBA agreement after months of negotiations caused the NFL to begin vetting replacement officials just in case of a work stoppage, though now the officials will be taking a ratification vote on Thursday … The Cowboys are kicking tires on 10th-year cornerback Adoree' Jackson this week, the former first-round Tennessee draft choice playing last year in Philly with then Eagles assistant Parker … Cowboys unrestricted free agent Dante Fowler Jr., the 11-game starter at defensive end, is signing a one-year deal with Seattle for up to $5 million that includes performance bonuses. He had a $6 million cap hit with the Cowboys in 2025 and finished with three sacks after a 10½ sack season in 2024 with Washington … Downs will be one of 42 rookies attending the 32nd annual NFLPA Rookie Premier in LA next week, basically a business-type orientation consisting of brand development and meeting with media partners.
For this week's last word, let's check in with the third of the Cowboys' three fourth-round draft choices, defensive tackle LT Overton (by the way, the LT standing for Lebbeus Thomas). Remember, after two years at Texas A&M, Overton played these past two seasons at Alabama, which means in 2024 he must have practiced a whole bunch against Cowboys 2025 NFL All-Rookie guard Tyler Booker, the former Crimson Tide captain that 2024 season.
"Man, almost every day," Overton said. "The one-on-ones went crazy. He was definitely on the top of my hit list every practice because I knew I was going to get great work against him. Not only that, it's Tyler Booker, man. He's one of the leaders of the team.
"If you win a rep against Tyler Booker, you can win a rep against anybody in the country."
Well said young man, claiming his self-scored results were, "50-50."
