FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys voted Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, Dak Prescott, and Brandon Aubrey their captains for the 2026 season. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer announced the four Thursday, breaking off midway through an answer about Williams to deliver the news.
Williams and Clark carry the patch on defense. Prescott has offense, and Aubrey has special teams. The selections were made Thursday morning.
Schottenheimer said he is the one who separates the group once the totals come back.
“All player voting, yep,” Schottenheimer said. “And that’s what I think makes it such an awesome, awesome, incredible designation that you get voted on by the players and your peers and your brothers. There were a lot of other guys that got a number of votes, but those guys were clearly the four highest, and that spoke volumes to me when I looked at the numbers.”
Other players on the roster drew votes.
“The numbers stated very clearly that those were the four guys that this group wanted leading the team,” Schottenheimer explained. “Last year, there was more guys closer together. And, again, I’m the one that separates them based off the numbers.”
Dallas Cowboys Cut The Captain Group From Six To Four
Dallas carried six captains into 2025. Prescott and Aubrey were two of them. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb was a third, and he is not among the four this season.
Safety Donovan Wilson, defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, and cornerback C.J. Goodwin filled out the 2025 group. Wilson remains a free agent. Odighizuwa was traded to the San Francisco 49ers. Goodwin retired.
In July, Schottenheimer named an 11-player leadership council: Prescott, Lamb, Williams, Clark, Rashan Gary, Jalen Thompson, Tyler Smith, Tyler Booker, Jake Ferguson, Javonte Williams, and punter Bryan Anger.
Quinnen Williams And Kenny Clark Take The Defensive Patches
Williams arrived from the New York Jets at the 2025 trade deadline and played seven games in Dallas. Three weeks ago he signed a three-year, $105.9 million extension that runs through 2030 with $101 million guaranteed. He was a three-time captain with the Jets.
Clark joined Dallas in the August 2025 trade that sent Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. He started all 17 games last season and played 748 defensive snaps, 68% of the team total. Green Bay drafted him 27th overall in 2016, and he was a captain there three times.
Aubrey signed a four-year, $28 million extension in April with $20 million guaranteed, the largest deal for a kicker in league history. He has made the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons and has converted 112 of 127 career field goals.
Dallas set its initial 53-man roster Sunday with 24 players on offense, 26 on defense, and 3 specialists. The Cowboys open the regular season Sept. 13 at MetLife Stadium against the New York Giants. Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
