Cowboys Landing on Fringe of Most Complete Rosters Shows Potential For Rebound Year

An analyst thinks the Cowboys almost have one of the most complete rosters in the NFL. Here's what they need to do in order to secure that label.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys have the potential to sport one of the most complete rosters in the NFL in 2026 and that isn't homer speak.

Don't believe me? Just ask Eric Edholm of NFL.com, who didn't put the Cowboys in his top 10 of the most complete rosters in the NFL but instead left Dallas in the honorable mention category.

"Even though the Chiefs are coming off their worst season in more than a decade, it was still somewhat jarring to see them miss the cut. I also thought the Packers and Chargers could crack the list, but they were the next ones left on the cutting-room floor. The Bears, Buccaneers, Bengals and Cowboys also received consideration before falling short," Edholm said.

Edholm's full top 10 included the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans and New England Patriots.

While I would obviously love to see the Cowboys make the cut, we do agree with Edholm that Dallas should be on the fringe going into the 2026 campaign. Here's why.

Cowboys have serious bounce-back potential

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Caleb Downs and defensive coordinator Christian Parker. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

One thing we know about the 2026 Cowboys is that they're going to have a top-notch offense. In per-game averages, Dallas finished seventh in points for, ninth in rushing yards and second in passing yards in 2025. With the Cowboys bringing back much of the same unit, there's no reason to believe things will get worse.

After sporting one of the worst defenses in the NFL last season, the Cowboys rightly made significant changes.

Matt Eberflus is gone in favor of Christian Parker, Rashan Gary and Dee Winters were acquired in trades, Jalen Thompson, P.J. Locke and Cobie Durant were inked in free agency, and Dallas added more help to the defense during the draft with Caleb Downs, Malachi Lawrence, Jaishawn Barham, Devin Moore and LT Overton.

We absolutely love all the action on defense this offseason, but we are not ready to crown Dallas' defense fixed just yet. While Dallas' group is loaded with promise, we need to see it on the field first.

All of the rookies are wild cards and some may not even contribute in Year 1. Gary disappeared in the second half of 2025 and the projected starter across from him, Donovan Ezeiruaku, is unproven.

And, as hyped as we are for Parker after what we have seen out of him in the early stages, the jury is still out on his ability as a play-caller.

If the Cowboys can put it all together on defense and the offense keeps operating at the level it did in 2026, Dallas is going to bounce back and over the hump into the playoffs.

But if all the potential on the defensive side of the ball isn't realized, it's going to be another rough season at The Star.