Positional rankings show a Cowboys team on the rise

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 20: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates a touchdown against the Washington Commanders during the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium on September 20, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images

After the win over the Washington Commanders, we look at positional rankings (or percentile rankings) to identify which players elevated their performance more than others. We’ve covered positional rankings extensively this offseason, go here if you need a quick primer.

The idea is that instead of using a player’s raw PFF Grade, we look at where a given player is ranked relative to the other players in the league at his position, just as we did last week.

Based on the overall ranking scale provided by PFF, the results can be split into quintiles, which delivers the following positional ranking groups:

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Positional Ranking	Description
100-80	Blue-Chip Performance
79-60	NFL starter quality performance
59-40	Slightly above or below average
39-20	Underperformance
19-0	Red Flag performance

Today, we’ll walk through different position groups, position units, and collections of players, and then move on to a view of the entire roster. Along the way, we’ll compare the cumulative 2026 (Weeks 1 & 2) rankings with the 2025 rankings using a snap-adjusted positional index (or SNAPI for short).

For individual players, we’ll use their positional ranking. For groups and units, we’ll use SNAPI, which adjusts for playing time and provides a better measure than a simple average.

Offensive Line – Finally Trending Up

Four of the five offensive linemen now grade at least as NFL-starter quality, with three reaching the blue-chip tier. Terence Steele, however, remains a massive outlier at seven and is dragging the unit down.

Offensive Line	2025			2026
Player	POS	Snaps	Pos. Rank	Snaps	Rank	Total Players	Pos. Rank
Tyler Booker	G	1,003	79	113	9	74	88
T.J. Bass	G	352	67	113	14	74	81
Tyler Guyton	T	650	23	113	14	71	80
Cooper Beebe	C	767	60	113	12	32	63
Terence Steele	T	1163	42	113	66	71	7
SNAPI			54.0				64.3

At full strength (read: with Tyler Smith at guard), last year’s O-line had a SNAPI of 60.4, and this year’s iteration with T.J. Bass subbing in for Smith grades out even higher than that.

Very encouraging to see three blue-chip performances here, but Terence Steele is dragging the total unit performance down quite a bit. It would be no surprise if the team subs in Broderick Jones soon, just to see if he could be an alternative.

Trade/Free Agency acquisitions – Caveat Emptor

The eight players that were brought in from the outside had a disappointing first two weeks in Dallas.

Free Agents / Trades	2025			2026
Player	POS	Snaps	Pos. Rank	Snaps	Rank	Total Players	Pos. Rank
NEW: Otito Ogbonnia	DI	138	44	69	34	145	77
NEW: Von Miller	ED	420	48	32	57	128	55
NEW: Cobie Durant	CB	819	70	87	68	100	32
NEW: Jonathan Bullard	DI	326	58	41	106	145	27
NEW: Jalen Thompson	S	978	67	69	72	92	22
NEW: Rashan Gary	ED	653	61	87	104	128	19
NEW: Dee Winters	LB	993	50	40	77	86	10
NEW: PJ Locke	S	173	37	28	88	92	4
SNAPI			58.7				32.3

Ogbonnia has been a clear exception, but as a group, the veterans have yet to provide the upgrade the Cowboys were expecting.

The Rookies – The Bright Spot

Four rookies made their NFL debut so far, and as a group, they have a SNAPI of 69.6, despite the early struggles of Malachi Lawrence.

Rookies	2026
Player	POS	Snaps	Pos. Rank	Total Players	Pos. Rank
Jaishawn Barham	LB	79	3	86	97
Caleb Downs	S	132	8	92	91
L.T. Overton	DI	33	114	145	21
Malachi Lawrence	ED	53	121	128	5
SNAPI					69.6

The rookies certainly aren’t the problem. In fact, Barham’s 97 and Downs’ 91 are the two highest positional rankings among Cowboys defenders. And there’s still hope for Lawrence:

Pass rush win rate among rookie edge rushers this season:

26.9% – Malachi Lawrence
17.0% – Cashius Howell
15.8% – Akheem Mesidor
10.5% – R Mason Thomas
7.4% – Dani Dennis-Sutton
7.1% – Gabe Jacas
6.3% – David Bailey
2.9% – Romello Height
2.6% – Rueben Bain Jr. pic.twitter.com/eYvse5ekCJ
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) September 21, 2026

In fact, if you look only at Lawrence’s pass-rush grade, he ranks 22nd among all edge rushers, good for a positional ranking of 83. But pass-rush skills are not the only thing he is graded on, as the small table below illustrates.

Young Edge	2026 Positional Ranking by grading component
Player	POS	Pass Rush	Coverage	Tackling	Run Defense	Total
Malachi Lawrence	ED	83	16	9	1	5

So, you’ve got a promising pass rusher who is still working to become a complete player, but for now, Christian Parker’s advice is exactly the right thing for the rookie:

“Man, just, just go,” Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker told Lawrence on Wednesday. “We want him to just go and play fast.”

Skill Positions – Shaking off the rust

After stumbling out of the gate with a 39.9 SNAPI against the Giants, the skill positions exploded back to 74.2 against Washington, lifting the cumulative season mark to 60.4.

Skill Position	2025			2026
Player	POS	Snaps	Pos. Rank	Snaps	Rank	Total Players	Pos. Rank
Javonte Williams	RB	769	74	85	3	54	94
CeeDee Lamb	WR	732	84	88	5	82	94
Dak Prescott	QB	1,135	88	113	3	32	91
Jake Ferguson	TE	786	34	77	40	107	63
Hunter Luepke	HB	252	17	25	31	54	43
George Pickens	WR	968	95	91	59	82	28
Brevyn Spann-Ford	TE	300	76	34	84	107	21
Ryan Flournoy	WR	479	88	83	67	82	18
Luke Schoonmaker	TE	392	13	29	88	107	18
SNAPI			70.8				60.4

The offensive improvement wasn’t just theoretical. The Cowboys scored 37 points on eight possessions against Washington, scoring on seven of their eight drives.

But not all is right yet, the challenge now is turning the Week 2 rebound into a trend, particularly for George Pickens and Ryan Flournoy.

The Front Seven – Big Man Potpourri

The Cowboys don’t have a bad front seven. They just have a wildly uneven one. The top looks good, the bottom does not.

Front Seven	2025			2026
Player	POS	Snaps	Pos. Rank	Snaps	Rank	Total Players	Pos. Rank
Jaishawn Barham	LB			79	3	86	97
Shemar James	LB	542	4	39	13	86	85
NEW: Otito Ogbonnia	DI	138	44	69	34	145	77
Donovan Ezeiruaku	ED	603	73	91	49	128	62
NEW: Von Miller	ED	420	48	32	57	128	55
Kenny Clark	DI	746	75	99	88	145	39
NEW: Jonathan Bullard	DI	326	58	41	106	145	27
Quinnen Williams	DI	640	99	103	107	145	26
L.T. Overton	DI			33	114	145	21
NEW: Rashan Gary	ED	653	61	87	104	128	19
NEW: Dee Winters	LB	993	50	40	77	86	10
Malachi Lawrence	ED			53	121	128	5
DeMarvion Overshown	LB	218	65	51	85	86	1
SNAPI			59.5				42.1

The front seven posted a 47.0 SNAPI in Week 1, but its cumulative mark has now fallen to 42.1 after two games. While the offense and offensive line improved against Washington, the front seven went in the opposite direction. And it didn’t help that Quinnen Williams was “a little banged up.”

FWIW: Cowboys DT Quinnen Williams did say after the game that he was “a little banged up” during Sunday’s game. https://t.co/a3Ov0mhpp0
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) September 21, 2026

Two earlier issues overlap here, the rookies boost the results of the 2026 front seven, while the veteran acquisitions pull it down. The challenge now is figuring out how to get more production from the veterans without slowing down the rookies who are already producing.

The Secondary – Still a Problem

The Cowboys’ weakest position group heading into 2026 has regressed slightly overall, despite the positive addition of Caleb Downs.

Secondary	2025			2026
Player	POS	Snaps	Pos. Rank	Snaps	Rank	Total Players	Pos. Rank
Caleb Downs	S			132	8	92	91
Markquese Bell	S	356	7	57	35	92	62
DaRon Bland	CB	743	65	136	47	100	53
NEW: Cobie Durant	CB	819	70	87	68	100	32
NEW: Jalen Thompson	S	978	67	69	72	92	22
Shavon Revel Jr.	CB	334	0	55	88	100	12
NEW: PJ Locke	S	173	37	28	88	92	4
SNAPI			52.9				49.4

The Cowboys had one of the worst pass defenses in the league last year, and it doesn’t currently look like much has changed. Through two games, they rank 30th in dropback EPA/play — exactly where they finished last year.

The front seven can’t stop a scrambling quarterback, the secondary can’t stop the pass. Going to be an interesting game against the Ravens.

Now that we’ve gone through the major position groups, here’s a look at the total roster.

Total Roster	2025			2026
Player	POS	Snaps	Pos. Rank	Snaps	Rank	Total Players	Pos. Rank
Jaishawn Barham	LB			79	3	86	97
Javonte Williams	RB	769	74	85	3	54	94
CeeDee Lamb	WR	732	84	88	5	82	94
Dak Prescott	QB	1,135	88	113	3	32	91
Caleb Downs	S			132	8	92	91
Tyler Booker	G	1,003	79	113	9	74	88
Shemar James	LB	542	4	39	13	86	85
T.J. Bass	G	352	67	113	14	74	81
Tyler Guyton	T	650	23	113	14	71	80
NEW: Otito Ogbonnia	DI	138	44	69	34	145	77
Cooper Beebe	C	767	60	113	12	32	63
Jake Ferguson	TE	786	34	77	40	107	63
Donovan Ezeiruaku	ED	603	73	91	49	128	62
Markquese Bell	S	356	7	57	35	92	62
NEW: Von Miller	ED	420	48	32	57	128	55
DaRon Bland	CB	743	65	136	47	100	53
Hunter Luepke	HB	252	17	25	31	54	43
Kenny Clark	DI	746	75	99	88	145	39
NEW: Cobie Durant	CB	819	70	87	68	100	32
George Pickens	WR	968	95	91	59	82	28
NEW: Jonathan Bullard	DI	326	58	41	106	145	27
Quinnen Williams	DI	640	99	103	107	145	26
NEW: Jalen Thompson	S	978	67	69	72	92	22
Brevyn Spann-Ford	TE	300	76	34	84	107	21
L.T. Overton	DI			33	114	145	21
NEW: Rashan Gary	ED	653	61	87	104	128	19
Ryan Flournoy	WR	479	88	83	67	82	18
Luke Schoonmaker	TE	392	13	29	88	107	18
Shavon Revel Jr.	CB	334	0	55	88	100	12
NEW: Dee Winters	LB	993	50	40	77	86	10
Terence Steele	T	1163	42	113	66	71	7
Malachi Lawrence	ED			53	121	128	5
NEW: PJ Locke	S	173	37	28	88	92	4
DeMarvion Overshown	LB	218	65	51	85	86	1
SNAPI			60.7				52.9

After two weeks, SNAPI is up to 52.9, but still below the 60.7 posted by last year’s 7-9-1 team. At least the team is improving, but can they improve fast enough and substantially enough?

So far, the improvement is highly uneven. The offensive line, skill positions and rookies are driving the improvement, while the veteran additions and much of the defense remain well below where they need to be.

The issue is no longer whether the Cowboys can improve. The Week 2 numbers show that they can. The question is whether the areas improving are enough to compensate for the areas that aren’t.

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Positional rankings show a Cowboys team on the rise

Offensive Line – Finally Trending Up

Trade/Free Agency acquisitions – Caveat Emptor

The Rookies – The Bright Spot

Skill Positions – Shaking off the rust

The Front Seven – Big Man Potpourri

The Secondary – Still a Problem

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Positional rankings show a Cowboys team on the rise

Offensive Line – Finally Trending Up

Trade/Free Agency acquisitions – Caveat Emptor

The Rookies – The Bright Spot

Skill Positions – Shaking off the rust

The Front Seven – Big Man Potpourri

The Secondary – Still a Problem

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STAY WITH US

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