Are the Dallas Cowboys overconfident in these two position groups?
For all intents and purposes, the bulk of the offseason acquisition for the Dallas Cowboys is wrapped up.
After 18 players departed the team and 14 were brought in this offseason (plus the 18 they brought in through the rookie class), the Cowboys accomplished a big goal they set out to do when the offseason began by reconstructing the defense — at least on paper.
That showed up in the secondary more than any other position group, as their prized free agent signings came in the form of versatile defensive back Jalen Thompson and cornerback Cobie Durant.
They didn’t stop there, adding rotational defensive backs P.J. Locke and Derion Kendrick. In the draft, they used their first pick to take arguably the best defensive back in the draft in Caleb Downs before doubling back at cornerback with Devin Moore in the fourth round.
And while the pass rush unit isn’t necessarily at the elite level that it was a couple of years ago when Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence led the unit, the Cowboys did add a significant boost to the pass rush efforts by trading for Rashan Gary and drafting Malachi Lawrence in the first round.
All in all, the moves this offseason have set up the Cowboys for more success than they had in 2025. But if you ask anyone in that building, simply reaching that bar isn’t the goal in 2026.
Getting into the postseason and finally making some noise in January will require a more complete unit, and these two position groups offer some concern going deeper into the offseason.
Is the work done at linebacker?
Of the seven off-ball linebackers the Cowboys have on the roster, only four have starting experience. Of those four, only two started games prior to 2025. The total amount of starts with the group is 53 games.
Dallas hit on a timely trade with the San Francisco 49ers on day two of the draft to acquire Dee Winters, but the proven depth behind him doesn’t exist. Despite this, the Cowboys appear to be content with the room heading into next month’s OTAs and mandatory minicamp.
“I’m comfortable with where we are,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “We’re not not looking. We’re not not evaluating. Adding Dee and adding [third-round pick Jaishawn Barham] and adding Curtis Robinson, we’ll get an opportunity to evaluate these guys once phase one ends — which it’ll end this week, and we’ll start phase two.”
Even with proven names out there like Bobby Wagner and Bobby Okereke on the open market, the experience in the room is enough at this point in time for the Cowboys. If one of those Bobbys are brought in to be a rotational player, the experience, veteran presence and reliable depth would provide a huge boost of confidence to the position group’s capabilities.
As of today, the starting two off-ball linebackers would most likely be Winters and DeMarvion Overshown. Through three seasons in the league, Overshown has yet to put together a healthy season, and neither has experience as the green-dot communicator for the defense. The second-string group of Shemar James and Barham also lack middle linebacker experience, although Barham is getting a crash course in being fit for that role.
“At the end of the day, we have a good group of linebackers,” Schottenheimer said. “Now, it’s about training them with [defensive coordinator] Christian [Parker] and [linebackers coach] Scott Symons and those guys and getting them all on the same page of the system we want to run.”
We all saw last season what results a poor group of starting linebackers can lead to. And not to say that this unit is anywhere close to the lack of talent that group of Kenneth Murray and Jack Sanborn had, but again, simply eclipsing that bar can’t be the goal.
Running back is unproven behind Javonte Williams
When you compare expectations with results, it’s hard to point to any other player on the Cowboys that had a bigger season than starting running back Javonte Williams.
After a torn ACL in 2022 saw Williams descend in production in 2023 and 2024 with the Denver Broncos, the bar was low for what Williams could accomplish in the Cowboys’ offense. But to most people’s surprise, he exploded for a career-high 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns. It earned him a three-year, $24 million contract to remain with the team through 2028.
The starter isn’t the question. It’s what’s behind him.
Schottenheimer has long emphasized that he likes having two running backs in his offense. The five running backs on the roster behind Williams have combined for 628 career rushing yards — barely half of what Williams accounted for in 2025 alone.
Now, you may bring up the point that the Cowboys had the same problem last year, and they succeeded in the run game despite it. Yes, with Williams carrying the ball a career-high 252 times and playing with a shoulder injury for the final third of the season. If Dallas wants its new running back investment to last three more seasons, it’s hard to imagine that 252 carries will help accomplish that goal. Simply put, he needs a Robin.
The only running back that Dallas has added this offseason is undrafted free agent Dominic Richardson. With options in the draft, the Cowboys elected to go elsewhere. With some intriguing backup options in the free agent market, they stayed pat.
Now, they enter an offseason where it is simply critical that Malik Davis continues his late-season surge that saw him run for a career-high 250 yards or Jaydon Blue earns the trust of the coaching staff enough to increase his second-year usage.
For Schottenheimer, the challenge of finding the reliability behind Williams — when he’s available or not — falls on him and his staff.
“When we do our job as a coaching staff, we get the most out of a Jaydon Blue,” Schottenheimer said. “Jaydon Blue [is] taking the next step. Phil Mafah, there are some guys we’re excited about, Malik [Davis]. That should be a very competitive position, but we have to get those young guys going.”
This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 5:30 AM.
