FRISCO, Texas - Football season is getting closer and closer.
The Cowboys are set to depart for training camp in less a month. That's when we'll get an up-close look at Brian Schottenheimer's second season with this revised roster and coaching staff. When we get to Oxnard, that's when we'll start to get some real answers about this 2026 Cowboys team.
But what are the questions? We've compiled our annual list of pressing questions that need answers heading into the regular season. The staff writers, consisting of Patrik Walker, Tommy Yarrish, Nick Eatman, Mickey Spagnola and Kurt Daniels, weigh in on some of the pressing issues.
Today, we'll continue the series with a look at which Cowboys player going into a contract year in 2026 has the most to prove in order to earn a big pay day.
No.9) Who has the most to prove in his contract year?
Patrik: To me, there's one glaring answer to this question, and his name is George Pickens. Granted, Pickens is no longer trying to prove he can be a breakout receiver capable of carrying an offense, as he was in his first contract season, or in sharing the load without complaint with yet another top-tier wideout. His 1,400-yard, nine TD season was a thing of beauty, and he's also shattered the locker room narrative coming out of Pittsburgh ahead of his trade to Dallas.
So, what does Pickens need to prove in 2026? Well, as the Cowboys view it: consistency. I am of the mindset that the team should've extended him this offseason, but I also can't argue against their reasoning for holding off. All Pickens has to do is rinse and repeat this coming season, and reporting to minicamp while on the franchise tag — stating he'll fully participate in training camp practices as well — is a sensational start to a season that simply needs to show last year wasn't an anomaly.
Mickey: This will become somewhat of a complicated answer since the Cowboys signed so many free agents this offseason to one-year deals, such as P.J. Locke, Cobie Durant, Derion Kendrick, Jonathan Bullard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling to name a few, plus along with trading for Dee Winters on the final year of the contract they inherited from San Francisco.
But let's go here, with someone who will be given a heavy role in 2026 to prove his long-term worth: DeMarvion Overshown. Can he stay healthy? Will he live up to his high expectations to command a financially rewarding long-term deal? And if he does meet those expectations, might he earn a franchise tag to reassure DeMo can achieve success two consecutive years? Now he's going to get that chance, penciled in as not only one of two starting inside linebackers in the 3-4 base defense but also one of the linebackers on the nickel defense. Much is expected, much needs to be earned.
Kurt: The list is long here, from George Pickens wanting to score a big contract to veterans hoping to hang on for another season to youngsters just trying to prove they can play at the NFL level. However, one guy who could really use a good effort in 2026 is Luke Schoonmaker. The tight end has shown promise over his first three years but also has yet to meet the expectations of a second-round pick. He even saw his snap-count percentage in the offense decline last season, resulting in his stats across the board trending downward.
Which means, while Schoonmaker will enter the campaign playing for a significant raise, he also has to worry about just earning any kind of second contract with the Cowboys. So yes, several players do have something to prove, but Schoonmaker's fortunes, however large or small, could vary greatly depending on the type of numbers he puts up this season. No pressure.
