FRISCO, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys have missed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.
A record of 14-19-1 across that time span is evidently not where Dak Prescott and his teammates want to be. Heading into a 2026 season with a new-look defense and almost all of a top offense in the league returning, Prescott views reaching the postseason as the bare minimum.
"It sucks," Prescott said of not making the playoffs in the last two years. "Definitely. But we're pushing. That's our goal, that's a minimum. When you have a team like this and they've done everything they have in the offseason, obviously we got to push and get better on offense, but when we know we're already improving on defense, that's the minimum. That's everybody's goal in here."
Not that any motivation is needed to be able to achieve that goal, but Prescott is motivated by some of his teammates that play at a high level, but still haven't played a snap of NFL playoff football yet in their careers.
"To hear [Quinnen Williams] say he's never been to the playoffs, that's what you want to do it for," Prescott said. "And that's what I told him. I said, "'I'll get you the playoffs. I'm going to need you to go help us win it.'"
If the Cowboys do reach the playoffs, another player Prescott will lean on to help them win is wide receiver George Pickens, who has played in two career playoff games with Pittsburgh but has yet to win one.
Pickens returned to the Cowboys' facility on Monday ahead of mandatory minicamp after missing the voluntary portions of the offseason, and finally got back to working on routes with Prescott at the Star instead of at outside throwing sessions.
"You feel his energy, you feel his presence," Prescott said. "It's in the locker room. Obviously, it's out there on the football field, and just to get back and see him and throwing, yeah, everything felt good. He looks great. I know he's going to be ready for camp and the excitement; you can feel it."
In his first year with the Cowboys in 2025, Pickens hauled in a career-high 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns after Dallas traded a third-round pick to the Steelers for him before the season.
Even though they haven't had as much time in the building together this offseason, Prescott feels confident in Pickens' abilities if there was a game tomorrow and will only continue to build chemistry in Oxnard.
"That guy's going to get separation," Prescott said. "He's just different. He understands his leverage. He understands his route. He understands where I'm looking for him at the catchpoint, the depth. That's going to be a beneficial time. It's going to be great, but we can go throw a lot of touchdowns right now. That guy's ready."
On Tuesday, Pickens said that he would not hold-in or hold-out of training camp and made clear he would play on the franchise tag in 2026. His contract situation is different than those of years past for Dallas going into camp, with Micah Parsons holding in last year and CeeDee Lamb holding out the year before.
With seemingly no contract disputes going into Oxnard, does the offseason almost feel quiet for Prescott and the Cowboys?
"It's the Cowboys, right?" Prescott said. "Quiet? I don't know if that's ever the right word, but the focus is in the right place. I think everybody's channeled for the same goal to get better 1% each and every day. I think from just the free agent signings, the guys that we've brought in, the vets, George obviously showing up excited to play on the tag, we can all focus on winning and what we need to be focused on."
In just about a month, the Cowboys will head to Oxnard for what will be Prescott's 11th training camp. That marks the beginning of the climb towards Prescott and his teammates' minimum goal of making it back to postseason play for the first time since 2023.
"It's exciting," Prescott said. "CP, the energy they're bringing on defense, who we are on offense, but yet trying to elevate, not complacent with anything that we did last year. Two units taking pride in what they do, and it's going to be a hell of a camp just competing against each other."
