Annual State of the Dallas Cowboys address: Jerry talks trades and Super Bowls

Дата публикации: 28-07-2026 13:58:53

The Dallas Cowboys are looking to return to the playoffs and win the NFC East for the first time since 2023.
That will likely require a much-improved defense this season, after 2025 ended with one of the worst units in franchise history. Cowboys coaches, players, and the front office know it too.
“We know that changing out and starting new can obviously create quite a challenge. But I like what we’ve got to work with. I, of course, have a lot of confidence. And our head coach, Schotty (Schottenheimer), and I have a lot of confidence in the coaches that he’s involved,” Jerry Jones, Hall of Fame owner and general manager, said.
Click here to read more from Schotty’s portion of the press conference.
Jones said he was proud of the relatively quieter offseason than the Cowboys’ past, but fans should still expect big changes.
“Especially on defense, we ended up turning it into something completely different than it was when we started. So we even did more than I could have anticipated when we started. And, I like I personally like the fact that the perception is that it’s been a quiet, non-confrontational offseason. That’s good,” Jones said. “I like the mood. I like what we’re coming to camp with.”
The offense is looking to return to its 2025 form.
“Dak actually, tangibly can cause his teammates to play at a higher level than I can. So when Dak is that positive about it, that adds some credibility to it. I too can say that the fact that Dak is looking at what he’s looking at causes me to feel the same way. I think we’ve got a chance to really be good. It’s going to be hard,” Jones said. “As old (Barry) Switzer used to say. We’re going to burn some of these wagons on the way to California for firewood. We’re going to lose some folks. We’re going to have some barn, but the wagon train is going to get there. So, bottom line is, I love the excitement. You guys, for all practical purposes, don’t expect us to be a contender in the Super Bowl. Y’all don’t. Why would you? I like that, I do, I like that, and I like what we put together to show you that we can do it.”
Dak Prescott sent a message, arriving in a Cowboys’ Super Bowl XXX championship shirt. The Cowboys defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17.
Jones is not saying Super Bowl yet, but he’s not shying away from expectations.
“I like the idea that, thinking, thinking that positive about what we’re going to work for. We’ve got a long way to go, starting really having started in our spring, but, that that’s good to me to be positive, especially coming from him. He’s a big part. He’s got a first-hand feel for what we can do. Certainly on his side of the ball,” Jones said.
Jones knows fans are tired of the empty hype.
“I’ve never thought that was anything quiet or subdued about the Dallas Cowboys. I never thought of it that way, but I have been guilty of stirring it up, and you guys helped me, and we’ve been a great team; I promise you that for the last 30-something years. And so, that does happen. And it is good. I don’t believe it makes one iota’s worth of difference on whether or not we block the guy or go off tackle,” Jones said. “Perception is big. But what I will tell you is I don’t plan on doing anything around here for the next few days to stir anything up.”
Jones said the franchise’s Super Bowl drought has no impact on the 2026 season.
“It’s inconsequential. Okay. So it really is. Whether we have the kind of execution we want on the offensive line or whether or not we have the kind of discipline we want on our defense. As much as I’m a big believer in tradition and it is such a big part of the entertainment and the game, it is not a prerequisite to being a good team this year. As to what we have done the last few years now, if there are players on this team and coaches on this team that one of the reasons we haven’t been to a Super Bowl, they’re there and they don’t improve. That’s legitimate, but it’s not legitimate worrying about how long it’s been since you’ve been to a Super Bowl,” Jones said.
Schottenheimer echoed that sentiment.
“It’s our time now. And now what we do on the field is what matters. And so, we celebrate the tradition. We’re proud of what this team has done, winning the five Super Bowls. And we are in pursuit of that every day to get that sixth. And not just for any one of us, but for them, you know, for the guys that have put so much into this game that they love so much. So, it’s very easy. I mean, it’s a pride thing. And I talk to more people around the league, and there’s a lot of people that want to be a part of what we’re building because it’s special, but also because of the Cowboys,” Schottenheimer said.
Stephen Jones said the team is still improving.
“I mean, we’re entertaining thoughts on players as we speak. Right now, I mean, Will (McClay) does an amazing job of, you know, getting the players and putting them in front of Jerry, myself, Schotty. And so we’re always looking for ways to get better. I will say that I think we’ve done a good job of putting together a roster that’s going to take the field today. They were out there working some, working out, you know, that gives us a great opportunity to really do the things that we want to do, which is to be a lot better than we were last year and, hopefully, compete for a Super Bowl. That’s every team’s goal. I’m sure if you ask 31 other teams in this league, their goal is to win the Super Bowl. And, certainly when we go to work, every offseason, that’s our goal. But I do feel like, you know, we’ve done a really good job of, you know, doing the things that we need to do to improve, not only coaching, but also players, to give us that opportunity. But the other answer to your question is, no, we’re not finished. I mean, we’re going to look for opportunities, you know, every day, to improve this roster. And obviously, guys will go out on that field, they’ll compete, and some guys will really show up. You’ll be really pleased. And, you know, like any team in any given year, even in years where we won Super Bowls, you’re looking for ways to improve. You know, as you go through training camp into the preseason and then ultimately into the season, you’re always looking for ways to make your team better,” Stephen Jones said.
Wide receiver George Pickens showed up with his co-star CeeDee Lamb.
Jerry reiterated he thinks Pickens is part of the Cowboys’ long-term future.
“He’s a valued part of our aspirations and our potential success. The combination that he has with the other talent on the team, I think, will make you, feel pretty positive about what we’ve got a chance to do. The way we have worked this out is the way it fits. I’m proud that he will work it that way. I’m proud that he will. I hope that he comes out here and is the most prolific, successful receiver in the NFL this year. How would you like to be a free agent with his credentials and step out there and have a year like that? So I wish him I wish all of that. Because if that happens, that was good for us, and we did it the way that we thought was best for everybody concerned,” Jerry said.
Schottenheimer said Daron Bland and Donovan Ezeiraku are cleared for camp after undergoing offseason surgeries.
“We don’t see any restrictions. We’re just going to be smart with them because they missed the spring. But we’re very, very healthy going into camp. And hope that that continues,” Schottenheimer said.
Jerry Jones said it’s possible the team uses future assets, like a trade of draft picks, to improve the current roster.
“Candidly, I’d be very interested. I’d give up the future to add substance to where we are today, as to a player,” Jones said. “I feel that good about this team this year. And, of course, you know that I haven’t seen this team play together. And so, but in general, looking ahead, I think we’ve got a chance to be worthy of spending some future. If we saw an opportunity.”
The team is also in the process of negotiating an extension with Quinnen Williams, who it used future draft capital to trade for last season.
“Obviously, we’ve got a lot of resources tied up in him, and he knows what we think about him. We’ve, you know, had some discussions with the agent about how to go about the process, but I certainly think he’s one of the best in the business. And, we know, you know, kind of what that market is. I obviously, it evolves and changes, you know, with each new deal, which is the case, you know, at any position. But certainly he’s at the top of the list in terms of people that we want to keep around here long term, you know, and there are other players on the roster that we may take a look at as well as we move forward. Camp seems to always be a nice time, you know, to look at something like that,” Stephen Jones said.
Williams has never reached the playoffs, spending most of his career with the New York Jets.
“Now think about that player, and there’s as accomplished as he is, hasn’t been a part of a football playoff. Well, there is a big plus there. That’s good. So, I like the makeup. I’m aware that we’re doing some things for the first time in a lot of places, but I think that’s going to be offset by our coaching, the makeup of the coaching, and, frankly, the mix of some of the new guys. Yet they are veteran players as they mix with some of the newer guys that are, if you will, last year we’re playing college. I think all that is a big plus. We’ll see. If, I don’t care where, whether they are rookies or whether they’re ten-year guys, if they can’t communicate with each other when they get out there. It didn’t make any difference on an individual basis where they were. And one of the main things that I have heard us talk about and say in countless interviews, and after we made the decision of who’s going to be doing the coaching, is the word of communicate, talking to each other, understanding what it is that the other one is expecting of the other one. This thing has been ad nauseum the chant. If you listen real hard out there when you’re watching practice, you’ll hear it be. One of the real focal points of this whole camp is communication,” Jerry Jones said.
Jerry knows there’s pressure on this team to win now.
“We’ve got certain things in place here that won’t stay in place. We’ve, now, I personally think that when you haven’t done it before, when you’re not necessarily young, you just haven’t done it before. I think that is a huge value to your associates,” Jones said. “Obviously, it’s a great thing to have experience. If somebody has done something for 20 years, but that is a good pressure to be involved with a group that really can do something they haven’t been a part of.”
The Cowboys’ first practice is Wednesday.
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