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FRISCO, Texas – With the 2025 regular season now behind the Cowboys, it's time to look ahead to 2026, where they'll try to get back into the playoffs for the first time since 2023.
As they begin to do so, our "What's Next" series will examine each position on the roster and look at the past, present and future of the room and the players within it.
We'll continue the series with the defensive tackles:
Past:
Sure, some of the greatest defensive players in Cowboys history played defensive tackle. But it's been multiple decades since the likes of Bob Lilly and Randy White dominated the middle of the Cowboys defensive line. Even when the team was winning Super Bowls again in the 1990s, the defensive tackle spot was never considered a strength of the team. Yes, the Cowboys have had some really good players in the middle, such as Leon Lett, Russell Maryland, La'Roi Glover and Jay Ratliff.
But not since Jason Hatcher had the Cowboys seen a defensive tackle make a Pro Bowl until Quinnen Williams was named to the roster this past season. And even with that, he spent most of the season with the Jets rather than the Cowboys. So it's still somewhat new for the Cowboys to count on stellar play from this position, but like so many things, it appears time for a change.
Present:
Don't look now, but what other position would you say has the most talent and depth at one spot more than defensive tackle? Quarterback has the team leader but behind him is inexperienced. The wide receivers are both in the Pro Bowl so there would be an argument there.
But defensive tackle would have a strong case, because not only is Williams the centerpiece, but the Cowboys also have Osa Odighizuwa and Kenny Clark. And then there's Solomon Thomas, who had one of his best seasons in recent years. And the team has high hopes for Perrion Winfrey as well. From 1-5 on the depth chart, there is no shortage of talent in the middle of the defense.
Future:
But just because the Cowboys seem to be stocked from the personnel department, there will be decisions to be made. For one, the defensive line coach spot is not settled. The Cowboys will be moving on from Aaron Whitecotton, who interviewed for the DC job in Dallas before Chrisitan Parker was awarded the position. Whitecotton is headed to Tennessee to join Robert Saleh's staff. So finding the right coach for this talent is one chore for Parker and Brian Schottenheimer.
Also, it's not a given the Cowboys will keep the trio of Williams, Clark and Odighizuwa on the roster. There are just 16 defensive tackles in the NFL that have average salaries at $20 million or more and the Cowboys have three of them. That's not actually ideal but also not a dealbreaker to keep them either. Just know the Cowboys could be looking at balancing out the defensive payouts and might look to move one of them. But don't rule out restructuring some of those deals to keep the depth and add some much-needed room to the cap.
