Recent NFL news is exactly why the Cowboys need to truly bust the budget in the 2026 offseason
The Dallas Cowboys need to go all in during the 2026 NFL season and recent coaching news shows why. This time, for real.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently told reporters the front office and ownership was incentivized to “bust the budget” in the 2026 offseason.
And while fans should be cautious about buying into what he’s selling—a couple of years ago he said the Cowboys would go “all in” and didn’t—recent NFL news show exactly why the time is now to truly push all the chips into the center of the table.
NFC East is competitive, but wide open
The Philadelphia Eagles went from being Super Bowl champions last January to one-and-done in the playoffs and making changes at offensive coordinator, announcing Kevin Patullo would be removed from the role.
That’s only the start. Meanwhile, questions surround head coach Nick Sirianni and even quarterback Jalen Hurts after a mediocre year of offense. Perhaps the Eagles bounce back from their current situation, but a quick glance at their roster suggests this isn’t the super roster that lifted the Lombardi Trophy less than a year ago. Heck, even A.J. Brown’s future is under scrutiny after multiple drops and a sideline scrap with Sirianni last weekend.
In other words, the NFC East is wide open going into 2026. And with the way Dak Prescott is playing right now, the Cowboys need to acknowledge it and go for broke after smelling blood in the water.
Jerry Jones knows it’s time to ‘bust the budget’
Now granted, the Cowboys have plenty of problems themselves and if they don’t have an aggressive approach to team building in the offseason, they’re not going to fix them in time for the 2026 season. Even Jerry Jones knows the front office may need to, in his own words, bust the budget.
“While Dak is playing the game and got it down the way he’s got it, we want to get out here and basically do better than we did this year,” Jones told reporters last week. “So a combination of those things gives us the incentive to, dare I say it, bust the budget to try to get something done now.”
But the key word here is “budget.” Not salary cap. Budget.
Aggressive front offices around the NFL need to do things with a “cash over cap” mindset, meaning being willing to spend more cash than the salary cap to build a better team, while pushing as much cap hit into the future as they can. Though the Jones family loves to talk about the cap constraints, the key is being willing to risk financial burden in the future in order to win now.
If the Cowboys are going to fix their woes to capitalize on top-tier quarterback play and an elite duo of wide receivers (should WR George Pickens stick around), they’ll need to be willing to spend a lot of money in free agency. The Cowboys have needs at every defensive position except defensive tackle. Additionally, they must improve at offensive tackle. And they must find ways to retain key free agents like Pickens and RB Javonte Williams.
Cowboys face more rivals beyond Philly
2026 will be difficult to predict in the NFC East. The Washington Commanders are making changes, recently parting ways with their offensive and defensive coordinators. Perhaps with a healthier Jayden Daniels, they return to playoff form. The New York Giants are in the mix for John Harbaugh and other big head coaching candidates.
But if the Cowboys find a way to expedite a defensive rebuild, Dak Prescott’s quarterback play should make them the favorite. The question is if they’re willing to really be aggressive, or if this is just the usual pitch Jones likes to make at the end of the season to raise the hopes of a fanbase that’s been waiting for 30 years.
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