Everyone who follows football knows the numbers, and after the 2025 season, there is no denying that the Dallas Cowboys defense struggled in a major way. Under former defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, the unit ranked 30th in total defense, 32nd in passing defense, and 32nd in scoring defense. They surrendered 377 yards per game and allowed a league-worst 59 total touchdowns. Those are not the kind of stats that inspire much confidence heading into a new season.
Maybe that is why analysts and fans are unable to buy into the hope that the Cowboys could change everything in one year. But for those who don’t believe in this, cornerback DaRon Bland has a powerful message for them. As the team reported to the 2026 training camp in Oxnard, California, a renowned reporter, Josina Anderson, had a conversation with Bland.
When the reporter asked, “NFC East is a little bit tougher. Is there a hole in this? What do you say those people think is a little bit of a hole in the secondary?” Bland just said, “I’ll say just wait till you see. But yeah, that’s how I feel about these guys in the room. I feel like we’re coming in to compete. We have a tough task on our hands, and we’re ready for it.”
As Bland has said, we can change our minds after watching them play in the 2026 season. Only time will tell the answer if the Cowboys are good this year or not. But before the season starts in seven weeks, let’s understand how the defense of America’s team has changed over two to three years.
Cowboys defense: From one of the NFL’s elite units to one facing major questions
The Cowboys’ defensive trajectory over the past three seasons explains why so much attention is on new defensive coordinator Parker entering the 2026 campaign. Dallas has experienced one of the league’s most dramatic declines, going from a top five defense in 2023 to the bottom of nearly every major statistical category by the end of the 2025 season.
In 2023, Dallas fielded one of the NFL’s premier defenses under Dan Quinn, the current HC of the Washington Commanders. The Cowboys finished fifth in total defense, allowing just 299.7 yards per game, while also ranking fifth in passing defense at 187.4 yards per game and fifth in scoring defense by allowing only 18.5 points per game. Powered by stars such as Micah Parsons, Bland, DeMarcus Lawrence, Donovan Wilson, and Malik Hooker, Dallas consistently created turnovers and game-changing plays till 2025.
Bland made history by returning five interceptions for touchdowns, setting a new NFL record. The defense took a significant step backward in 2024. Dallas dropped to 28th in total defense after allowing 355.2 yards per game and fell to 31st in scoring defense by giving up 27.5 points per game.
The run defense ranked 29th at 137.1 rushing yards allowed per game, while the Cowboys finished last in the league in red zone defense after allowing touchdowns on 75 percent of opponents’ trips inside the 20-yard line. Injuries, inconsistent linebacker play, and repeated schematic breakdowns all contributed to one of the NFL’s steepest defensive declines.
The downward trend continued in 2025. The Cowboys finished 30th in total defense, surrendering 377.0 yards per game, and ranked last in both passing defense at 251.5 passing yards allowed per game and scoring defense after giving up 30.1 points per contest.
Dallas also finished 29th in red zone defense with opponents scoring touchdowns on 66.7 percent of their red zone possessions and ranked last on third down by allowing a 47.3 percent conversion rate. The run defense showed modest improvement. They climbed to 23rd after allowing 125.5 rushing yards per game, but it was not enough to offset the struggles in the secondary and the inability to consistently get off the field.
Those struggles are reflected in advanced analytics as well. PFN’s 2025 Team Impact Rankings placed the Cowboys 29th overall with a defensive grade of 53.4, illustrating how far the unit had fallen despite a productive offense.
That is why the challenge for Parker is to build an elite defense from scratch. Instead, he must restore a unit that was among the NFL’s best just one season earlier. With healthy stars like Bland, along with several defensive additions, the Cowboys believe their personnel is capable of performing much closer to the 2023 standard than the disappointing results produced in 2024.
Bland’s comments suggest the players believe the 2024 collapse was an outlier rather than a sign of the defense’s true ceiling. Whether that confidence translates onto the field will be one of the biggest storylines of the Cowboys’ 2026 season.
But along with the performance changes, they also need to keep a look at the linebacker position. Per The Athletic’s Jon Machota, the Cowboys have been desperately looking for a linebacker since there was an opportunity to trade for Maxx Crosby.
So as soon as the training and pre-season games are over, the regular season will show if the Cowboys are different than previous years and have really improved or not.