Pro Football Hall of Famer and ESPN Monday Night football commentator Troy Aikman made a guest spot on ESPN’s “Get Up” this week to talk about all things NFL ..... and, of course, the Dallas Cowboys. Here are some highlights from his Tuesday appearance:
With the acquisitions Dallas has made this offseason, will the defense improve to a level where the Cowboys can compete better in the 2026 season?
Aikman: “I think so. I mean, that is the big question. They can only get better. And it’s early, I understand that, but I do like the hire of Christian Parker. I think sometimes you bring in a young assistant who now is getting his opportunity after having coached under some really good people over the course of his career, he comes in with a good resume, all indications are that the players are excited about it. I think what they’ve done, starting with the draft, to address some of those needs on the defense has been positive.
”What I think gets lost a little bit, the offense was so prolific last year, and then you’ve got a healthy Dak Prescott, and unfortunately for them, we saw it with Joe Burrow on the Bengals a couple of years ago. When you have that kind of play at the quarterback position, typically, that means good things when the season comes to an end. And yet, for Dallas, they failed even make the postseason. Can that offense continue to play at the level that they did last year? And that’s a big if. It was one of Dak Prescott’s best years. It was George Pickens’ career year. It was Javonte Williams’ career year. There was a lot that happened on the offensive side of the ball. The numbers may not look as good. In fact, I think if you’re a Cowboys fan, you hope the offensive numbers don’t look as good, because that would then mean that the defense is better and playing a much bigger role in the success of that
team.”