In 2026, the Dallas Cowboys looked like they had done more than enough to upgrade their awful defense from last season, and even the mainstream media has noticed that from start to finish. Even ESPN's Louis Riddick is joining in on the bandwagon, saying the Cowboys are a deep team, but the catch? No excuses anymore.
Riddick mentioned three rookies, Caleb Downs, Malachi Lawrence and Jaishawn Barham, as guys who are going to be "huge, pivotal roles" on defense, as well as Rashan Gary, who's trying to get back to a nine-sack season in his first season without a Green Bay Packers uniform on.
While the team looks well-improved on paper, there are new faces. Not to mention, the Rams, Seahawks, Bears, Lions and Eagles all stand in Dallas's way.
Louis Riddick says there are no more excuses for the Dallas Cowboys not to go all the way
On ESPN's "First Take," Riddick is saying what all Cowboys fans are thinking. It's now or never.
"Offensively, they have one of the best offensive lines in football, one of the best wide receiver duos in football, Dak is one of the best quarterbacks in football, they have depth at running back, there aren't really any excuses for Dallas anymore."
The ESPN NFL analyst added he sees "The Boys" winning the division over the Philadelphia Eagles.
No excuses sounds like he's trying to say the Cowboys have no excuses for winning the big game, because winning the division sounds very real. They still have a lot of new faces on defense, and it's going to take time for them to mesh. That doesn't mean they're going to lose games, but still, it's a work in progress.
The Cowboys do have Christian Parker and a potential star safety in the making, but they have a new lineup and a new defensive scheme. It's all there for them to take, but to throw in "no excuses" in the picture sounds like a lot to overcome.
Riddick seems to be agreeing with Prescott's mantra of "Super Bowl or bust," but Prescott's philosophy is in a different sense. The starting QB isn't exactly breaking it down like an analyst. He's saying that he's at his peak, and all he's about is winning a Super Bowl.
RJ Choppy and Shan Shariff on 105.3 The Fan seem to highly disagree with Riddick and even add that there's a timeline for this, but not this season. Here's how RJ reacted to Riddick's statement:
"They're going to be better, but to think this is a Super Bowl contender, I just think we're a year away from that."
2025 was arguably the worst defense in franchise history, and they have gotten better, no doubt. It would still be a dramatic turnaround for the Cowboys to make the Super Bowl.
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