What I'm Watching Closest During Cowboys Training Camp & Why You Should Too

When the Dallas Cowboys begin training camp on Wednesday, the spotlight will be on the defensive side of the ball.

Dallas Cowboys defensive back Caleb Downs and defensive coordinator Christian Parker. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There's going to be no shortage of interesting storylines to watch for the Dallas Cowboys when they take part in training camp over the course of the next month.

The Cowboys will officially kick off training camp on Wednesday, when the team takes the practice field for its first session. We'll be keeping a close eye on the rookies and the slew of competitions for starting jobs and roster spots on both sides of the ball.

But our primary focus for training camp is going to be broader, and fans can already guess what that is after it has been a hot topic of conversation throughout the offseason.

Why I'm watching the defense

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cowboys' defense is going to make or break its 2026 season, so how that unit performs in camp is the most important thing to watch.

The Cowboys sported the worst defense in the NFL last season, with Dallas ranking dead last in points allowed and pass defense, and 23rd in run defense. Had the Cowboys had even just a decent showing on defense, they might have made the playoffs given how well the offense played.

Jerry Jones was quite blunt in his assessment of the unit after the season and that was a sign big changes were coming.

"I'll tell you, when you have the challenges we had last year, there's no place to go but up on the defensive side of the ball," he said. "Had we played a lick of defense last year, we would've had ourselves, I think, a real playoff run."

Dallas started by firing Matt Eberflus and replacing him with Christian Parker, who came over from the Philadelphia Eagles and the Vic Fangio coaching tree. From there, Dallas made changes at every position group via trade, free agency and/or the draft.

All of that has sparked renewed hope that Dallas can get its unit on track in 2026 and the belief is that even an average showing can propel the Cowboys back to the playoffs after a two-year absence.

What I want to see from the defense

Dallas Cowboys safety Caleb Downs. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Major change doesn't always equate to success.

The truth is, we have no idea how Parker will perform in his first season as a defensive play-caller, nor do we know how all of the new the pieces will fit and perform.

Training camp will be a great measuring stick for Parker's defense, which will have the benefit of going up against Dallas' top-notch offense on a daily basis, and the Los Angeles Rams' during joint practice.

At the very least, we want to see the Cowboys' defense hold its own and not get overmatched against those offenses.

We still expect the defense to lose more than it wins, but putting up a legitimate challenge will give hope that the overhaul will turn things around for the formerly inept group.

If the defense can accomplish that, Dallas will have a huge head of steam going into the regular season and fans will have hope that this season will be different.