(Editor’s Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in ‘Mailbag’ presented by Miller Lite.)
Coming off last season, the defensive bar literally could not be any lower. The Cowboys defense could improve significantly and still not be an average NFL unit. Why all the hype? – LT/Silverdale, WA
Mickey: Well, using your example, if the 2026 Cowboys defense improves as you say “significantly,” then there is a good chance this defense at least could become average. And after last season, “average” would be good, if considering pairing this unit with a playoff-caliber offense. And this improvement doesn’t just need to come down to yards per game or points per games, but also there must be an improvement in takeaways. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer has not shied away from emphasizing an improvement in this department. And if this does take place, think what that would do to enhance the effectiveness of this offense, potentially benefiting from short fields to transverse for scores. Wasn’t that long ago, like in 2023, believe it or not, the Cowboys defense was ranked fifth overall, but that certainly was overshadowed by giving up 48 points in the first-round playoff loss to Green Bay, and at home at that, 48-32, giving the appearance this defense was sorry. Maybe a couple of regular season games, though, might have foreshadowed this eventual playoff downfall, giving up 42 points to San Francisco, 35 to Seattle, 31 to Buffalo and 28 each to Philly and Arizona. Think about that, the Cowboys gave up 52 percent of their season total 315 points in just five games. Is “average’ too much to ask for so soon?
