DALLAS — Troy Aikman said the Dallas Cowboys could be a real contender this season and into the postseason, an assessment he delivered Tuesday on The Rich Eisen Show, five days before Dallas opens at the New York Giants.
Aikman is ESPN’s Monday Night Football analyst and was the first overall pick of the 1989 draft. He quarterbacked the Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles in four seasons, went to six Pro Bowls and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
Dallas finished 7-9-1 last season, second in the NFC East, and missed the playoffs for the second straight year. The Cowboys allowed 511 points, the most in the NFL and the most a Dallas defense has ever given up. Opponents gained 6,409 yards, including 4,276 through the air.
The Dallas front office feels it has done a lot of good things this offseason, and Aikman agrees with that assessment.
“I’m excited about Dallas,” Aikman said. “I really am. I think they potentially could be a real contender as we move through the rest of the season, through the season and then into the postseason. Obviously, a big part of it is, is have they fixed the defensive problems from a year ago? And from what I can tell, I believe they have. I think they made a really good hire in Christian Parker. Time will tell.”
The offense finished seventh in the NFL with 471 points and second with 6,663 yards. Dallas scored 27.7 points a game and still lost nine.
Troy Aikman On The Dallas Cowboys Defensive Question
Christian Parker replaced Matt Eberflus as defensive coordinator in January. The comments Aikman has heard from Dallas players about Parker have been positive, and he expects the defense to be a competitive group that could be above average.
“And I know people are really excited about this football team,” Aikman explained. “I know the front office, Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones, they feel like they’ve done a lot of good things. And I would agree with that assessment.”
Dallas has not reached a conference championship game since the 1995 season, the year of the third Super Bowl title Aikman won. The Miami Dolphins hired Aikman as a consultant on New Year’s Day to advise their general manager search, and he sat in on the in-person interviews.
The Cowboys have not had back-to-back losing seasons since the 5-11 finishes from 2000 through 2002. Brian Schottenheimer enters his second season as coach.
Dallas Cowboys Open At New York Giants On Sunday Night
Dallas opens the regular season Sunday, Sept. 13, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Kickoff is set for 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC. It is the 13th time the Cowboys have opened a season against the Giants and the first since 2023. Dallas has won 11 of those 12 openers.
New York went 4-13 last season and hired John Harbaugh in January after his 18 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. Jaxson Dart returns at quarterback. The Giants beat Dallas 34-17 at MetLife Stadium on Jan. 4 to close the 2025 season, snapping a nine-game losing streak in the series. The Cowboys had won the first meeting 40-37 in overtime at AT&T Stadium in Week 2.
Dallas placed three-time Pro Bowl guard Tyler Smith on injured reserve Monday. He will miss at least the first four games after thumb surgery.
