The 2025 Dallas Cowboys were a true case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. They boasted an explosive offense that could hold its ground with the best of the best, but they couldn't get a stop to save their lives.
While they didn't have the personnel to do much better on that side of the field, moving on from defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus was a move Jerry Jones badly needed to make. Clearly, Brian Schottenheimer and the offense deserved better.
That's precisely why Troy Aikman doesn't want to see them carry that much weight in 2026. On ESPN's Get Up, the Cowboys legend questioned whether his former team could replicate last year's offensive success, though he hoped the defense would hold its end of the bargain.
Troy Aikman hopes for a better balance between the Cowboys' offense and defense
"I think if you're a Cowboys fan, you hope the offensive numbers don't look as good, because that would then mean that the defense is better and playing a much bigger role in the success of that team."
Some may say Aikman is downplaying the Cowboys' offense, but in all honesty, fans are looking for a better balance between both sides of the ball. Dak Prescott has earned too much only to play hero ball to save the defense at this point in his career.
The Cowboys averaged the most total yards (404.2), the second-most passing yards (266.3), the ninth-most rushing yards (125.6), and the seventh-most points per game (27.6) last season. However, they just had to do that if they wanted to stay in games.
Watching this team put up those numbers despite CeeDee Lamb missing some games due to injury was encouraging. Prescott looked extremely comfortable in the offense, and he might be better with a fully healthy receiver corps. That said, trusting Javonte Williams to replicate last year's success, given his track record and history of injuries, might be a bit too risky.
The defense was simply dreadful, giving up 391.4 yards (30th), 251.5 passing yards (32nd), 125.5 rushing yards (23rd), and 30.1 points per game (32nd). They also ranked dead last in opposing successful third-down conversion percentage (47.3 percent).
Whatever the case, teams need to be efficient on both sides of the gridiron. New defensive coordinator Christian Parker has a plethora of weapons at his disposal, and there will be no margin for error or room for excuses anymore.
Contrary to what the naysayers may think, the Cowboys can make a legitimate case as a Super Bowl contender in 2026. That's, of course, assuming they don't have the worst defense in the league once again. With Parker getting to work with a jack-of-all-trades player in Caleb Downs, it's going to be extremely tough to see a repeat of last season.
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