Cowboy Roundup: Jerry Jones' secret mission, Defense's biggest weakness is clear

Happy Tuesday, Dallas Cowboys Nation. We've had to digest the disappointing weekend that was, and accept the reality that the chances of making the NFL Playoffs have essentially passed.

On Monday, the Washington Commanders announced they will shut down Jaydon Daniels for the remainder of the season, so the Philadelphia Eagles will face the Marcus Mariota-led Commanders in two of the last three weeks, which the Cowboys would need them to lose.

That doesn't seem very likely, so it's best to avoid getting anyone's hopes up. In a matter of days, it could officially be NFL Draft season for the 'Boys, and that's okay, because there are plenty of reasons to be excited for the future.

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Dallas has two first-round picks in the 2026 draft, has a few ways to open up some salary cap space, and is positioned to continue rebuilding the roster.

Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Brian Schottenheimer and owner Jerry Jones speak to the media at a press conference at the Star. | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

Sure, the team will likely miss out on the postseason, but there were positive strides in Dallas in its first year under head coach Brian Schottenheimer. Let's hope a tweak or two to the coaching staff, like finding a defensive coordinator who can utilize the roster's current talent, can help the Cowboys continue to improve in the offseason.

While we wait to see if the team can keep hanging onto its playoff hopes by a thread, let's take a spin around the web and check out some of the latest news and headlines making waves online and across social media.

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Jerry Jones' secret mission

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stands on the field prior to a game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

While Jerry Jones has several business ventures that have his attention, there is one secret mission that he has yet to break through in, and it's the push to expand state revenue with sports gambling and online betting. InsideTheStar.com takes an intriguing look.

"Jerry Jones isn’t content with the status quo. Even with the Dallas Cowboys’ valuation exceeding $13 billion, the owner believes there’s enormous potential. That revenue stream simply hasn’t been fully exploited yet. He has created a business empire of merchandising, stadium entitlements, and media contracts. Still, the barrier to sports betting in Texas is the one that he has frequently failed to break through. The demand to increase state income isn’t merely for franchise owners. It’s to put more money in pockets and also modernize the state’s economic infrastructure. This provides it with a reflection of the modern sports world."

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Defense's biggest weakness is clear

The #Cowboys defense pressured JJ McCarthy on just 22.2% of his dropbacks, the 2nd-lowest pressure rate he’s faced in a game this season, per NFL Pro.

Dallas could draft two defensive ends with their first round picks and I wouldn’t be mad.#DallasCowboys
— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) December 15, 2025

The Dallas Cowboys' lack of aggression from defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and the defensive line's inability to consistently generate pressure is the team's biggest weakness this season, and it's not even close.

The inability to get after the quarterback has left the secondary exposed, and that's never good news. Let's hope that the Cowboys use both of their first-round picks on the 2026 draft on the defensive side of the ball.

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