Biggest Takeaways From Dallas Cowboys' First Unofficial Depth Chart of Regular Season

Here are the biggest takeaways from the Dallas Cowboys' first unofficial depth chart of the 2026 regular season.

Dallas Cowboys safety P.J. Locke (1) at training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Dallas Cowboys have posted their first unofficial depth chart of the 2026 regular season with the game against the New York Giants coming up on Sunday.

On the depth chart, the Cowboys have two starting spots with an "or" between two players on defense, which means those jobs are still undecided and up for grabs.

We also know the Cowboys have a third starting job up for grabs on offense based on what head coach Brian Schottenheimer said, but that spot does not have an "or" listed.

We'll go over all three of those positions as we take a look at the biggest takeaways from the Cowboys' first unofficial depth chart.

Terence Steele still at right tackle

Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Terence Steele (78) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After the Cowboys acquired Broderick Jones in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers, head coach Brian Schottenheimer revealed the former first-round pick would compete for the starting right tackle job with Terence Steele.

"When we made the trade, the first thing I did was I reached out to Terence Steele and told Terence that Broderick is coming here to compete with him to be the starting right tackle," Schottenheimer said.

However, as of right now, things are status quo, as Steele is listed as the starting right tackle on the depth chart, with Jones behind him. That said, we would not rule out a change at any point between now and the end of the season.

As Schottenheimer said would be the case, Drew Shelton is the backup at left tackle for Tyler Guyton.

While that's all well and good, we still find it hard to believe Jones won't be the first guy off the bench if Guyton is removed for any reason after Shelton struggled mightily during the offseason.

No set starter at CB2

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Cobie Durant (2) during a joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams at the Rams Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While DaRon Bland is in one cornerback spot, the spot across from him has the good old "or" designation, with Dallas listing Cobie Durant or Shavon Revel there.

That means the Cowboys haven't fully decided who is going to start at the other boundary spot.

We give the edge to Durant, who was one of the bigger standouts during the offseason. Revel did, however, have a strong offseason, which makes the decision harder for the Cowboys to make.

It's very possible both Durant and Revel will be starting by the end of the year, though, as Bland is anything but guaranteed to maintain his starting role if he doesn't rebound.

No set starter at safety

Dallas Cowboys safety Malik Hooker (24) goes through a drill during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility in Frisco, Texas. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In what might be the biggest surprise on the first depth chart, the Cowboys also went with the "or" at safety with Malik Hooker and P.J. Locke.

Hooker entered the offseason as someone we pegged as a trade candidate after a few disappointing years in a row, and because of Dallas' complete overhaul at the safety position.

But he was the starter at safety during the offseason when the Cowboys were in their base defense, so there was no hint Locke was legitimately in the running for the job.

Now, it looks like Locke might be able to get himself a starting role out of the gate in his first season in Dallas. We still give the edge to Hooker, though, based on the aforementioned observation of the Cowboys' starting defense in practice.

At the other safety spot, Jalen Thompson is there, where we expected him to be, and Caleb Downs is listed as the nickel, something else that was expected.

Cowboys unofficial depth chart

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) looks on before the game between the Cowboys and the Saints at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Here's a look at the Cowboys full depth chart:

🚨 #Cowboys UNofficial depth vs. #Giants - Week 1 🚨

the first depth chart of the 2026 season has arrived:

🔑 Tyler Smith will soon be moved to IR-DTR and a corresponding move will be made to fill his roster seat. pic.twitter.com/TJeotgU5LH

— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) September 8, 2026

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