Dallas Cowboys Defend Not Playing Starters in Preseason Despite Concerning Trend

The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2026-27 NFL campaign with plenty of momentum and hype after an impressive offseason, but the team came out flat and suffered a massive letdown in the season opener against the NFC East rival New York Giants.

Dallas' offense struggled to get going, while it was déjà vu on defense with the team failing to get off the field on third down. The Giants had the highest third-down conversion rate of the week, and went a perfect 4-for-4 in the redzone.

The sluggish start for the Cowboys drummed up conversation about the team's strategy to sit players during the preseason. With the loss to the Giants, the Cowboys fell to 2-5 in season openers when Dak Prescott doesn't get a rep during the preseason.

It's a concerning trend, but not one that seems to bother owner and general manager Jerry Jones.

Jerry Jones Defends Preseason Strategy

Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer and owner Jerry Jones at training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

During his weekly appearance on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday morning, Jones said that resting your starters in the preseason is generally the "right way to go." The thought behind the strategy is that you want to keep your starters fresh for the crucial stretch of the season in December and January, while protecting them from injury during July and August.

However, with all of the change that the Cowboys underwent during the 2026 offseason, a change of approach would have been beneficial.

Dallas has eight new starters on defense and a new scheme, so without the game reps, there will be a large learning curve. That was on full display Sunday night when there were multiple blown assignments and clear confusion from defenders on the field. It was far too reminiscent of the dreadful Matt Eberflus era.

On offense, there was also rust and a lack of timing and chemistry right out of the gate. The Cowboys opened the game with a three-and-out, which was rare territory for the unit. Last season, the Cowboys had the fewest three-and-outs on opening drives in the league, so they immediately got off on the wrong fit. That, like getting comfortable on defense, could have been cured by more reps during the preseason.

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker with head coach Brian Schottenheimer at training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ultimately, hindsight is 20/20, and losing the season opener is not the end of the world. Both Super Bowl teams last season fell in Week 1, so there is no reason to immediately lose hope.

"The two teams that played in the Super Bowl last year, they both lost their opening game," Jones noted. "Both of them evolved as the season went along. I've lost the first game (1993) and won the Super Bowl.

"The first game for this team was unquestionably important. Don't get it wrong. But we (have to) keep in place where we're trying to go with this group. I saw nothing on review yesterday that tells us that we should depart away from the plan that we've got about getting better on defense that we've been (working on) since last year."

We'll just have to see more energy on the field in Week 2 and fewer mental errors in the team's home opener. Kickoff between the Cowboys and Washington Commanders at AT&T Stadium is set for 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX.

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