The Dallas Cowboys' draft has been seen by many as a successful one, thanks in part to taking Caleb Downs in the first round and focusing on defense. But that isn't going to fix three of the bigger questions still plaguing them heading into the 2026 season. And yes, it would be easy to say George Pickens is at the top of the list, but looking past the low-hanging fruit that is Pickens, one will find three more concerns.
They have other issues on the offensive side of the football, questions stemming from having a fourth defensive coordinator in four years, and an overarching concern that has submarined quite a few playoff hopefuls over the years.
These three questions matter in the immediate future and beyond for the Cowboys going forward.
Number one concern on this list is Tyler Guyton's ability to stay healthy through an entire season. The 2024 first-round pick has yet to give the Cowboys a full season of work. So far in his young career, Guyton has missed seven regular-season games to injuries, plus parts of others. A knee/shoulder injury in 2024 caused him to miss two games, and in 2025, Guyton missed five games due to an ankle injury.
The Cowboys are going to be heavily relying on their offense to keep them in games while the defense continues to learn Christian Parker's schemes. Guyton is the best left tackle option for Dallas with this current roster, and they need him to protect quarterback Dak Prescott's blindside. If he isn't on the field, the best result for the Cowboys' offense would be increased pressure off the edge that disrupts Prescott's timing and comfort in the pocket. The worst would be another serious Prescott injury.
If it seems as though every season, the Cowboys are installing a new defensive scheme after firing their previous defensive coordinator, it's because they are. Each time this happens, fans are subjected to watching a unit that still hasn't been able to grasp the scheme. Parker's main goal prior to the start of the season will be to get his players up to speed as quickly as possible.
Parker came to Dallas with a reputation of being a great communicator, someone who figures out how to relate to his guys and use that to get the best out of them. It's worked for him in the past, bringing out the best in players, players like the Broncos Pat Surtain, and the Eagles' Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
This time around, Parker's the defensive coordinator and not a positional coach. He'll have more responsibilities and won't be able to devote the majority of his time to the secondary.
He's going to have to rely on his hand-picked staff to get the job done for him. It will be interesting to see if they'll have that same ability to tap into their player's potential and grow it.
It feels as though this is a recurring issue for Dallas on defense, and this season is no different. Last season, the Cowboys' defense saw 12 players go down with injuries. Heading into the 2026 season, Dallas heads into OTAs with two big defensive contributors on the mend. Cornerback DaRon Bland (foot) and Donovan Ezeiruaku (hip) may be ready for offseason workouts at the earliest, or not until training camp.
They also have players who they believe will contribute heavily on defense this season, who have their own injury concerns based on their history. Cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. (knee), linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (knee), and safety Malik Hooker (foot) all missed games last season, either coming back from an injury or getting injured during the season. If the Cowboys' defense wants to take a step forward in 2026, they'll need to pick up Parker's scheme, but more importantly, stay healthy.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: 3 burning questions hanging over Cowboys as offseason workouts begin