FRISCO, Texas – The 2026 offseason is here, as the Cowboys closed the first year of the Brian Schottenheimer era with a 7-9-1 record.
Before we begin looking ahead for what's next, let's first take a look back at each month of the 2025 season for Dallas and how the Cowboys fared. We'll start, at the start, back in September:
September:
- Sept. 4 – Eagles 24, Cowboys 20
- Sept. 14 – Cowboys 40, Giants 37 (OT)
- Sept. 21 – Bears 31, Cowboys 14
- Sept. 28 – Cowboys 40, Packers 40 (tie)
Biggest takeaway: The Cowboys' defense was struggling out of the gates. In their first game against Philadelphia, the Cowboys held the reigning Super Bowl champions to 302 total yards. After that however, they allowed 30 or more points and at least 385 yards of offense to the Giants, Bears and Packers in the three games following the opener. Dallas' offense was getting off to a great start, especially George Pickens in his first year with the Cowboys, but scoring 30 or more points to be in contention for each game because the defense is struggling is a lot to ask for any unit.
Something to remember: The blockbuster Micah Parsons trade to the Packers was made just weeks before Green Bay was slated to come on the road to AT&T Stadium and face his former team. The Packers came into that game 2-1, and their defense with the addition of Parsons was flying around, holding the Lions, Commanders and Browns to just 41 total points in the first three games. Then, the Cowboys went and put up 40 points on them in what would end up being a tie thanks to late game heroics from Dak Prescott and the offense. The result bore a question: Could Dallas' offense keep them in any game, against anybody?
Something to forget: Everything defensively from the Cowboys' Week 2 win over the Giants in overtime. Sure, Dallas got the win, but the defense allowed Russell Wilson to turn back to clock and throw for 450 passing yards against them, the second-most he's thrown in a game in his 14-year NFL career. New York's offense put points on the board on seven of their 12 drives in the game, including three straight touchdown drives in the third quarter that would force the Cowboys to hit a 64-yard field goal in order to send the game to overtime.
Employee of the month:
Tommy Yarrish: After using a by committee approach in 2024 and losing their leading rusher in Rico Dowdle, there was uncertainty about how the running back position would look for Dallas in 2025. Then Javonte Williams entered the picture, and he showed why the team held him from playing in the preseason and considered him to be the bellcow. Williams' first game with Dallas against Philadelphia saw him score two rushing touchdowns, and he finished the month with 312 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
Patrik Walker: A defense that was on its way, early on, to becoming the eventual worst in franchise history put the onus on Dak Prescott to try and save the month of September. He nearly powered the Cowboys to a win against the Eagles, but critical drops by CeeDee Lamb stole away the chance to start 1-0 with the first win being against a division rival. He had to lead the offense in a shootout to overcome a historic outing from Russell Wilson allowed by Dallas' defense. The four-time Pro Bowler lost Lamb mid-game against the Bears on an odd endaround call (Javonte Williams was perfectly healthy, by the way) that derailed the entire offense that day, and would've blown out the Packers if the defense didn't allow a forty burger on their own field in Week 4. Prescott wasn't flawless in September, but the Cowboys enter the month of October with an 0-4 record if not for him; and might've been 4-0 if the defense played to the standard.
Nick Eatman: I didn't know what to expect from George Pickens, even after training camp. But in the first four games, I knew the Cowboys had a superstar in the making, just because of the highlight plays we saw in September. And to think, the Cowboys were without CeeDee Lamb for most of two games, Pickens really came alive. What he did against the Packers showed us all that he could be a real No. 1 receiver and his performance was even better than the stats (21 catches, 300 yards, 4 TDs) because he was drawing pass interference calls as well.
