Cowboys news: Emmitt Smith applauds Dallas’ quiet offseason
Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith lauds ‘quiet offseason’ for Dallas: ‘We don’t need all that drama’ – Grant Gordon, NFL.com
After Brandon Aubrey’s extension and George Pickens signing the franchise tag, the contract drama will be unusually quiet this offseason.
“I think the bigger sign is that it’s been a slow, quiet offseason — the way it needs to be,” NFL all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith told USA TODAY Sports earlier this spring. “Now that we’ve gotten George Pickens out of the way, quietness is important, because it says the focus is where it needs to be — on the field.”
It’s arduous to argue that focusing on football between the lines is a bad thing for a Cowboys club coming off a 7-10 season and infamously having gone without a Super Bowl berth since Smith and Dallas defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers to conclude the 1995 season.
Since then, Dallas has yet to move past the Divisional Round, with offseason drama becoming far more prevalent than postseason glory.
In recent years, star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb had his extension drama bleed into late August, commanding headlines and causing negative buzz through the 2024 offseason.
Dak Prescott didn’t sign his most recent extension until the morning of the team’s season opener just weeks after Lamb’s signing in 2024.
The 2025 offseason was perhaps the worst of it, as Micah Parsons, one of the decade’s most talented pass rushers, was traded to the Green Bay Packers following an ugly offseason and summer in which the parties never reached new contract terms.
Perhaps that’s why this year’s been different, though it hardly began that way.
Brandon Aubrey eventually signed an extension, but not before kicker negotiations drew attention in a true only-with-the-Cowboys news cycle.
The secrets behind Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey’s success – Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning News
If you had to pick between either player in their prime, who would it be: Dan Bailey or Brandon Aubrey?
Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell this month signed a deal that also averages $7 million per season. Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn, who led the NFL with 44 made field goals during the 2025 season, signed an extension earlier this offseason that gives him the second-highest average salary ($6.5 million) for a kicker.
Aubrey owes much of his success in going from professional soccer player to NFL kicker to kicking coach Brian Egan, the founder of Performance Kicking Academy, and the use of advanced video analytics tools. Aubrey found Egan by accident; he Googled him when his wife, Jenn, suggested he try attempting field goals over corner kicks.
“I couldn’t have done it without him, obviously I made a commitment to him and to myself financially,” Aubrey said of Egan after signing his contract extension with the Cowboys. “And as a man, I said I was going to do something. Show up every day and work toward the goal, and he made that same commitment to me. He showed up as much as I did and put as much effort in as I did and helped me get to where I wanted to be.”
Aubrey is the first kicker to make the Pro Bowl in each of his first three NFL seasons. He also became the first kicker to make three field goals from 60-plus yards in a season. He’s the only kicker to make six 60-yard field goals in his career.
To make sure he continues on this path, Aubrey and Egan teamed with Trackman Football, which helps kickers improve by providing video analytics from practices and games. The Cowboys use Trackman Football for their quarterbacks, but not kickers.
2026 Schedule: Analyzing the Cowboys’ 6 NFC Opponents – Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com
The Cowboys games against the NFC feel a lot more daunting than normal this year.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 5 – AT&T Stadium – Oct. 8, 7:15 p.m. (Prime)
While the Bucs present their own set of challenges, starting with a typically stout defense led by head coach Todd Bowles and the always-entertaining QB Baker Mayfield – this game has drawn plenty of attention regardless of the opponent. It’s the “Thursday” aspect of this matchup that has been most eye-opening, especially since the Cowboys did not receive a bye after their Week 3 game in Rio, and Week 4 is also on the road in Houston. That creates a short week at home against Tampa Bay, making for quite a turnaround with significant added travel.
As for the game itself, Tampa Bay just missed the playoffs last year, losing to the Panthers in the final game with the NFC South title on the line. The Bucs went from 5-1 to an 8-9 finish, putting everyone – including Bowles, a former Cowboys assistant – on the hot seat for 2026. Mayfield is also in a contract year, so the pressure will be high. Speaking of pressure, Tampa Bay added defensive end Ruben Bain, drafted No. 15 overall. Bain was among the Cowboys’ targets before they selected Caleb Downs.
Green Bay Packers
Week 6 – Lambeau Field – Oct. 18, 7:20 p.m. (NBC)
A rare prime-time trip to Lambeau awaits the Cowboys after a much-needed break following the Bucs game. Not since 2008 have the Cowboys played a night game in Green Bay, and it should be a huge test.
The matchup is notable again because of Micah Parsons, who is expected to return in Week 6 after last year’s ACL injury. On the other side, the Cowboys’ defense will face familiar names in Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark, in addition to other longtime Packers. This game will be a rematch of a highly anticipated 2025 contest that ended in a wild 40-40 tie—the Cowboys’ first regular-season tie since 1969.
5 ways the Cowboys’ offense can improve in 2026: Old reliable, a partner in crime and more – Joseph Hoyt, Dallas Morning News
If Tyler Guyton takes a huge step forward in his development, the offense could find something similar to what they had in 2014 with the dominant offensive line.
A partner in crime required?
Cowboys running back Javonte Williams had a breakout season last year as the team’s feature back. He had a career high in carries, yards and yards per attempt. The Cowboys rewarded him accordingly with a three-year, $24 million deal this offseason.
With Williams a part of the Cowboys immediate future, it’s vital to try to preserve his health and ability. That requires finding a true No. 2 running back to pair with him.
The Cowboys have options. Veteran Malik Davis was a pleasant surprise. He was called into action because of injuries and played well. He had a 103-yard performance in Week 17 against the Commanders when he replaced Williams. He’s probably the most likely option currently, but second-year running backs Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah offer some likeable qualities.
Whether it’s one person or multiple, it’s probably best to find a true second option.
A red mark
Prescott and Ferguson discussed recently the importance of being better in the red zone.
“We necessarily weren’t the worst,” Prescott said, “but we weren’t near to our standard.”
For the record: the Cowboys finished right in the middle of the pack, scoring touchdowns in the red zone the 16th most in the NFL (56.92%). The top team in the NFL was the Philadelphia Eagles. They scored touchdowns on 70.21% of their red zone trips.
The Cowboys were fifth in the league in red zone trips last season. Getting inside the opponent’s 20 wasn’t a problem. Scoring touchdowns wasn’t a huge hindrance, either. But if we’re looking for an area where an offense like the Cowboys could improve, that’s one of them.
Daily discussion question: What Cowboys position group has the most depth?
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