DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys haven’t reached the Super Bowl since the 1995 season, when they won Super Bowl XXX against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
From 1992-95, Dallas played in four straight NFC Championship Games and won three Super Bowls, but over the last 30 years, the Cowboys haven’t made it past the Divisional Round.
Jerry Jones and Co. missed the playoffs in 2024 and 2025. Most NFL fans and pundits believe the Cowboys are all hype; they make a lot of headlines and noise in the preseason and falter in the regular season.
However, former NFL player and scout Bucky Brooks believes the Cowboys are a “true Super Bowl contender” this season.
Brooks: Dak Prescott Is An Underrated MVP Candidate
Brooks believes the Cowboys have one of the best QBs in the NFL.
Prescott had his fourth 4,000-yard passing season in 2025. He finished with 4,552 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 177 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
The four-time Pro Bowler played in all 17 regular-season games, going 7-9-1 while completing 67.3% of his passes.
Prescott was ranked 31st on the NFL Top 100 Players list. The veteran was No. 79 in 2025. He went up 48 spots after his terrific 2025 season.
“While Prescott’s detractors will point to the Cowboys’ big-game failures as a reason to dismiss his candidacy, the four-time Pro Bowler has been a spectacular performer with Brian Schottenheimer by his side,” Brooks wrote at NFL.com. “Schotty served as Dallas’ offensive coordinator in 2023 and ’24 before his promotion to the big chair in 2025. And in the past three seasons, Prescott has completed 67.7 percent of his passes to average 263.0 yards per game, logging a 77:27 TD-to-INT ratio in the process. The 11th-year pro’s precise passing and timely playmaking force opponents to defend every blade of grass, from sideline to sideline and the line of scrimmage to the back of the end zone.
“Additionally, Prescott has mastered the pre-snap chess match, leading to steady gains on audibles and adjustments based on his anticipation and diagnostic skills. With the veteran quickly identifying potential rushers and deciphering safety rotations, the Cowboys can punish opponents for aggressive tactics with minimal risk. As a top-notch distributor from the pocket, Dallas’ QB1 is one of the most-feared passers in the game today.”
Prescott has 35,989 passing yards, 243 passing touchdowns, 2,115 rushing yards and 31 rushing touchdowns in the regular season and 1,962 passing yards, 14 passing touchdowns, 163 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in the playoffs. He’s one of the top QBs of his generation despite not having a Super Bowl ring.
Prescott enters this season 83-55-1 in the regular season and 2-5 in the playoffs as Dallas’ starting quarterback
Brooks: The Cowboys’ Unstoppable Offense Is Even Better In 2026
Prescott has two of the best WRs in the NFL to throw to: George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb.
In his first season with the Cowboys, Pickens was nothing short of sensational. He finished with 93 receptions for 1,429 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns en route to making his first Pro Bowl.
Meanwhile, Lamb recorded 75 catches for 1,077 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns last season. The Oklahoma product made his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl team.
Pickens enters this season with 267 receptions for 4,270 receiving yards and 21 receiving touchdowns with the Steelers and Cowboys. He played in two playoff games with Pittsburgh in 2023 and 2024, putting up 10 catches for 137 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.
Lamb and Prescott are entering Year 7 together. Their chemistry continues to get better and better and there is no QB Lamb would rather catch passes from than Prescott.
“That’ll never get old, ever,” Lamb said of catching passes deep downfield from Prescott. “I’m excited that we’re able to do that more times than not and able to connect early on in camp. I feel like that was a lot of things we were missing in our time together, and I feel like we’re hitting on all cylinders now. … For Dak, I want to run a route that’s helpful to him, clear to him. If he knows what I’m running, I’m not worried about nothing else. As long as I’m in my spot when I need to be, I get the ball in my hands, I’ll handle the rest.”
Lamb enters the 2026 season with 571 receptions for 7,416 receiving yards and 41 receiving touchdowns in the regular season and 24 receptions for 316 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the playoffs.
Brooks: Christian Parker Is Quietly Building A Real Defense
The Cowboys were last in the NFL last season in points per game allowed. Matt Eberflus‘ defense gave up a whopping 30.1 points per game.
Parker is Dallas’ new DC and Brooks believes the 34-year-old is building a solid unit.
“Given the Cowboys’ high-powered offense, the defense’s new tactics and talents could create problems for opponents chasing points in shootouts,” Brooks wrote. “In a league where complementary football rules, Parker’s defensive prowess is exactly what the Cowboys need to make an unexpected title run.”
The Cowboys begin the 2026 season against the New York Giants. Let’s see how many wins “Big D” gets in Year 2 of the Schottenheimer era.
