Cowboys Predicted to Cruise to NFC East Title in Bold 2026 Projection

It's not often a team coming off a seven-win campaign enters the year with much hype, but that's exactly what's going on with the Dallas Cowboys. That said, they're not your typical seven-win franchise.

Dallas might have struggled to secure victories during the 2025 season, but they still boasted one of the most exciting offenses in the league. Led by star quarterback Dak Prescott, as well as wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, the Cowboys were a threat to score 40 points every single week. The problem is that their defense was a threat to surrender 40 points every single week.

This offseason, Jerry Jones worked hard alongside head coach Brian Schottenheimer to try and correct the shortcomings on their roster. The end result is that Dallas will be returning all 11 starters from that high-octane offense, and will have a revamped defense under first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker.

Cowboys could be dangerous in 2026

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott at training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Fans are excited at the prospects for this season, but they're not the only ones expecting big things from the Cowboys. In fact, SI.com's Connor Orr just predicted the Cowboys would finish the 2026 season with a record of 12-5, which has them cruising to the NFC East title. Orr said he likes this team and believes the schedule works in their favor.

"The addition of DC Christian Parker will bring a less porous and gouge-able defense to the forefront, which gave me the confidence to have Dallas sweeping the Giants. But after going through this exercise, a 12-win Cowboys team doesn’t feel like an acid trip once you consider the opponents. I probably could have tempered expectations a bit by having the Cowboys lose one of their games against the Commanders, but … I like this team," Orr wrote.

"And, as we said at the top of the piece, it’s time to stop hedging. I like George Pickens in a year where he has to play complementary ball to cash in. I like that the league is built to defend the outside zone and the Cowboys are built to ram the ball up the gut. I love Dak Prescott in this Klayton Adams offense."

Orr also said it might be time to admit Jerry Jones didn't get fleeced in trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. Although he added that the idea of bringing in another superstar player, such as Maxx Crosby, would only help improve the team's chances.

As for the rest of the division, Orr has the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders tied for second place with a record of 9-8. The only NFC East team Orr predicts will finish with a losing record as the New York Giants, who he has going 6-11 in their first season season under head coach John Harbaugh.

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