Can the Dallas Cowboys Break Their Championship Curse or Is the Title Drought Here to Stay?

The Cowboys’ big move was to take a shot on receiver George Pickens, who is undeniably talented and fills a position of need, but wore out his welcome fast in Pittsburgh. Dallas traded a 2026 third-round pick and had a late-round pick swap with the Steelers to get Pickens. The Cowboys needed to gamble because they lacked offensive playmakers other than CeeDee Lamb. The other big move was retaining defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, who was one of the top free agents on the market but chose to return to the Cowboys for million over four years. Many of the Cowboys’ veteran additions mostly had the same type: former first-round picks who didn’t work out as hoped elsewhere. In that group Dallas added defensive linemen Solomon Thomas, Payton Turner and Dante Fowler Jr., cornerback Kaiir Elam and linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. The latter two came via trades. The Cowboys didn’t do much to address running back, adding Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders while losing Rico Dowdle, who rushed for 1,000 yards last season. The draft brought a lot of value, with the picks of offensive lineman Tyler Booker (first round), defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku (second round) and cornerback Shavon Revel (third round) all getting good reviews. Booker helps replace retired Zack Martin, a Cowboys legend whose play had been slipping due to injuries. Fifth-round pick Jaydon Blue could factor in at running back too. The success of the offseason will be judged in large part on whether Pickens works out.The Cowboys should rebound, but probably not all the way back to 12 wins. The defensive dip last season, with former coordinator Dan Quinn off to coach Washington, was precipitous and concerning. The Cowboys still have deficiencies at the skill positions, especially if the George Pickens gamble doesn’t work out. And we have no idea what Brian Schottenheimer is as an NFL head coach. The Cowboys can probably compete to be the second-best team in the NFC East — catching the Eagles likely isn’t happening, and might not for a few years — but getting close to 12 wins seems unlikely. Perhaps Dallas sneaks into a wild-card spot, but even if it does, don’t expect a deep playoff run. And then the talk of the Cowboys’ championship drought can continue on for another year.AdvertisementAdvertisement

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Yahoo’s fantasy take

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Burning question

Is the offensive line better?

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Nightmare scenario

From Yahoo’s Ben Fawkes: “Oddsmakers aren’t expecting a big season in Big D. The Cowboys have a win total of just 7.5 at BetMGM – their lowest win total since 2003. Dallas went under its win total for the first time in four seasons in 2024-25, as Dak Prescott got hurt and the Mike Zimmer-led defense fell apart. The Cowboys are favored in only six games this season. A Week 2 game vs. the New York Giants as a 4.5-point favorite is the most points they are projected to be favored by all season. If you’re a true Prescott believer, 40-to-1 to win MVP could be worth a small wager.”

The crystal ball says

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