The Dallas faithful should be prepared for a major overhaul of their defense this offseason. We will likely see new faces at every level of the unit, but especially in the Cowboys' secondary. It's arguably been the defense's weakest unit this year, as the group's two cornerstones, DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs, have either struggled to stay healthy or failed to make their expected high-level impact when on the field.
Will the real Dallas Cowboys please stand up? After yet another loss, this time a 44-24 drubbing on the road to the Broncos, it's becoming exceedingly more difficult to pin down this team. There's a few reasons for that, but the biggest factor that sticks out is the home/away splits. When playing in Dallas, the Cowboys are 2-0-1 and their offense has scored at least 40 points each time.
The Dallas Cowboys were never expected to be a Super Bowl contender this season. They have a first-year head coach, not much talent on defense, and traded away their best player. Also, there were doubts about their running game, not to mention Dak Prescott's health and performance at quarterback. Fast forward to today, and the Cowboys have been among the best offensive teams in the league under Brian Schottenheimer, who nevertheless is not satisfied with their record after eight games.
Quarterbacks like Russell Wilson, Bo Nix, Caleb Williams, and Bryce Young have played some of their best football against the Cowboys defense. Just about every running back has had monster performances, too. It's a unit that needs saving. However, it's one so flawed that one trade or two won't cut it. So what is the Cowboys' plan to save the defense? Based on their history, reports, recent comments, and reality at 3-4-1, below is my best guess at what their approach will be.
Consider what we noted earlier this week in that the Cowboys are beginning a run of primetime/big-window games where each of the NFL's network parters (FOX, CBS, NBC, ESPN, Prime Video, and now Netflix) will all get a piece. That run starts in Week 9 where the Cowboys will play their first of two straight Monday Night Football games on ESPN/ABC (the bye is sandwiched in there for Dallas).
Well, you've watched the Cowboys' defense. At 3-4-1 and with a stretch of games against the Eagles, Chiefs and Lions later this season, it's tough to envision the Cowboys making it to the postseason, let alone doing anything once there. Jerry Jones has proudly bragged about the draft picks the Cowboys got for Micah Parsons and how they might help Dallas land a handful of valuable players, but barring something unexpected, those picks aren't going to make a difference in 2025.
After watching the Dallas Cowboys for the first eight games of the season, it's become clear that they need help. The team has been beaten up all throughout the season to the point where their injury report looks as long as a CVS receipt. Injuries to the offensive line, cornerback, and linebacker have led to a disjointed football team that lacks cohesion on the field and is desperately clinging to remain in the postseason picture.
By now, entering the halfway point of the 2025 NFL season, we have a pretty good idea where exactly the Dallas Cowboys are ranked around the league. Offensively they have one of the best units in league, but on the flipside, they are no doubt among the worst defensive units in the league, if not the worst. That's not generally the recipe for success.
When asked earlier this week about the Dallas Cowboys' defensive struggles, Jerry Jones gave a familiar response: "Help on the way is important. We do have two or three key players and we'll start getting healthier at safety, which we're really right now suffering from our depth at safety." The comment, meant to inspire confidence, instead highlighted a long-standing problem with Jones' approach to roster management: his unrelenting belief that injured players returning from rehab can instantly solve deep-rooted problems.
Bridges, a seventh round pick in April of the Los Angles Chargers, actually made his debut in the Week 3 loss at Chicago, finishing with four tackles in 20 defensive snaps (33.9%) and 10 more (43.5%) on special teams. In last week's win over Washington, he also had four solo tackles in 53 defensive snaps (79.1%). On Sunday, he saw 48 snaps on defense (76.2%) and once again had four solo tackles. He also added two passes defended.
The defense chose to not show up once more, and this time the offense couldn't save them. It was a failure on just about every level and resulted in a score that made the Denver Broncos feel quite proud of themselves. You are well aware that the Cowboys are one of the worst defenses in NFL history to date, but those types of statements sound like exaggeration and hyperbole. Thanks to the offerings of Stathead and Pro Football Reference we can prove these unfortunately-not-outlandish claims.
The game took place on October 26th which is a significant time in the world of television. Annual ratings are about to be assessed and established and typically we see the NFL and its broadcast partners get particularly strategic with how they schedule games/teams to set themselves up in as best of a position as possible. We can see this with the next seven weeks and how the NFL has strategically lined up the Cowboys.