Jerry Jones made the Cowboys’ offseason priority unmistakably clear: Dallas is pouring its resources into fixing a defense that collapsed too often last season. Speaking before Sunday’s IndyCar Grand Prix of Arlington, Jones said the team is focused on figuring out how to stop opposing offenses and made it plain that defense is where the franchise is putting its “energy and money.”
That approach already shows up in the Cowboys’ early moves. Dallas traded for former Packers edge rusher Rashan Gary, a move the team announced as a swap sending a 2027 fourth round pick to Green Bay, and the club has also added multiple defensive backs in free agency to strengthen the secondary.
The message behind those transactions is easy to read. New defensive coordinator Christian Parker is being handed reinforcements, and the front office clearly believes the quickest path back into serious contention is to make sure the defense is no longer the unit dragging the team down.
Jones did not try to dress up the problem. He openly acknowledged that Dallas had nowhere to go but up defensively after finishing 30th in total defense last season, and his comments framed the offseason as a direct response to that failure.
The numbers explain why the Cowboys have taken such an aggressive tone. Dallas ranked 30th in total defense, allowing 377 yards per game, and also gave up a league high 60 total touchdowns, a combination that left the offense under constant pressure to win shootouts.
The pass defense was even worse. The Cowboys finished 32nd against the pass, surrendering 251.5 yards per game and 35 passing touchdowns, numbers that made it nearly impossible to consistently protect leads or survive against efficient quarterbacks.
The run defense was not nearly good enough either. Dallas ended the year 23rd against the run, allowing 125.5 rushing yards per game and a league high 24 rushing touchdowns, which meant opponents could attack the unit in almost any way they wanted.
That is why the Cowboys’ spending pattern this spring feels so deliberate rather than reactionary. The team is not simply adding names for depth. It is trying to rebuild the identity of the defense from the edge inward, from the back end forward, and from the coaching booth down to the field.
Gary is the most headline grabbing piece of that effort. He arrives in Dallas with proven pass rush production from his years in Green Bay, and his acquisition gives the Cowboys another disruptive presence they hope can change the tone of the front seven.
The secondary additions matter just as much. Reuters reported that Cobie Durant became the Cowboys’ third free agent addition to the secondary, joining newly signed safeties P.J. Locke and Jalen Thompson, which shows Dallas is attacking the coverage issues from multiple angles instead of relying on one marquee fix.
Taken together, the early moves suggest a franchise that understands exactly why last season fell apart. The offense may still be expected to put up points, but the Cowboys no longer seem interested in asking it to carry every meaningful game on its own.
If Dallas gets even average improvement from this rebuilt defense, the team should be much more dangerous in 2026. And if the unit makes the kind of jump Jones clearly envisions, then the Cowboys may have given themselves a real chance to turn a glaring weakness into the foundation of a playoff push.
