[Ed Note]: Greetings BTB! We have a new writer joining us today – Dyllan Rivers. It’s possible you’ve already encountered him on twitter as @Lord_Dylly with his recent of coverage training camp. He also runs a YouTube Cowboys channel which we recommend. Help us welcome him aboard at BTB. —- Dave Halprin
We’ve had this feeling before as fans: pure excitement over the potential of the Dallas Cowboys heading into a season. However, through the excitement, we’ve grown callous to the idea that the team really could win it all. Regardless of outcome, though, this year has already been different. Here are three reasons why.
Front office evolution
Since August 28th, 2025, this front office has been obsessed with proving they were right to trade away Micah Parsons. The moves since that day are the things Cowboys fans across the world have dreamed of for years.
They traded away picks to finally address the defensive interior. They actually signed a big-ticket player (a safety nonetheless) in free agency. These are not moves that fans are accustomed to seeing from the Jones family. Moving on from the All-Pro edge has created a sense of urgency that’s been foreign to the organization for far too long.
Organizational harmony
All of the changes that this organization has made over the last year are puzzle pieces designed to fit into the larger board. Nobody is throwing spaghetti on the walls in this house. Every move has been intentional.
Can’t stop the run? Get rid of lackluster run defenders while acquiring Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams, and Otito Ogbonnia to plug the holes.
Need to fix the secondary? How about filling the defensive coordinator position with Christian Parker: the man who played a massive role in flipping the Eagles pass defense from 30th to 1st in just a single season (2024). And while they were at it, they went and traded up a spot to select arguably the best player in the draft to run his new defense.
Every single move fits together in perfect harmony. The results should be immediate and tangible.
When this team needed a new head coach in the post-Mike McCarthy era, the front office looked no further than a few doors down to quickly hire Brian Schottenheimer. When this team needed to hire a new defensive coordinator, the front office looked to an old friend in Matt Eberflus. Seemingly very little work was involved in these decisions.
But when the Cowboys needed a new defensive coordinator in 2026, Schottenheimer and the front office took 16 days and interviewed nine candidates, then narrowed that down into a second round before finally landing on Christian Parker. That is a stark contrast in how this team has operated in years prior. This is a serious culture shift that has permeated through the entire organization, top-down. We have Brian Schottenheimer to thank for that.
Adding it up
Taken together, the decisions this organization has made have built a team that should, with just one year of rebuilding, compete with the best in the NFC. The NFL is a week-to-week league. Many things can change in just a short period of time. But the Cowboys have put themselves in a terrific position with top-shelf starters on offense, a completely revamped defense, and the best depth we’ve seen in years. Pair that with a coaching staff that understands what it takes to win in the modern NFL, and they’ve got something cooking
Where this season ends is yet to be written in the history books. Could this actually be the season that finally ends differently from the rest? The Cowboys seem to have as good a shot as anyone. After all, “different” has been their theme all along.
