How Cowboys can avoid a disaster in 2026 NFL Draft

How Cowboys can avoid a disaster in 2026 NFL Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Dallas Cowboys have had some strong NFL Draft successes in recent years.

Heading into the 2026 edition, it's clear that this will be an important set of picks. The Cowboys have two choices in the first round (12 and 20), raising the stakes.

They're also coming off a rough season in which the playoffs never felt that close.

The main good news of the 2025 campaign was that it showed Dallas exactly what it needed to do in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Now, with the draft this week, it's time to execute.

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What would be a disaster Cowboys draft in 2026?

The reality is that a Cowboys disaster would simply dismiss defensive needs.

Dallas needs to focus on defense, and every analyst has predicted as such in mock drafts.

But there's the Jerry Jones element here. He's always a tad unpredictable. What if he goes rogue and decides to make a move for a flashy offensive player?

That would be a disaster, even if he picked a good player.

Why Cowboys picking offense would be a disaster

The Cowboys already have a good offense, one of the best skill-position groups in football to go along with a solid offensive line.

That didn't matter in 2025. They weren't a good team because their defense was so poor.

Picking another good offensive player is only a marginal gain over what is already a strong unit.

The Cowboys need, as ESPN's Ben Solak put it in a recent article, is: "Defense, defense, defense."