The second level of the Dallas Cowboys defense looks completely different than it did at this point one year ago.

That’s a good development, too. The Cowboys fielded one of the NFL’s worst linebacker corps and its deficiencies were big contributors behind last year’s issues on defense.

So, one of the biggest questions on the defensive side of the ball is which of these new linebackers wears the green dot in 2026 and possibly beyond?

Understanding the green dot and what it means in an NFL defense

For those unfamiliar with the green dot, it’s a tactic defenses use to designate the central communicator of the defense. Players who wear the green dot are often leadership-type players who understand the defense/playbook inside-and-out, are great communicators, and honestly, are linebackers.

It’s critical for plays to be relayed in an effective fashion and to have, basically, a quarterback on the defensive side of the ball who ensures his teammates are lined up in the right spots and know their assignments.

Right now, the Cowboys don’t have that player on defense. That’s different from last year when sixth-year veteran Kenneth Murray was given by default due to his experience.

Brian Schottenheimer’s take on figuring this out should make Cowboys fans feel good

It’s safe to say Schottenheimer is taking the right approach after hearing his plan for figuring this out.

“The biggest thing I would say about that is we’re going to train so many people in the green dot, that we’re going to find out who’s comfortable doing it,” Schottenheimer told ahead of a rookie minicamp practice. “It might be ‘D-Mo’ [DeMarvion Overshown], it might be Jalen Thompson, it might be Dee Winters, it might be whoever. And, you know, I think at the end of the day, communication comes down to not just the green dot, but the entire defense.

“So if we were playing a game this week, I could not tell you who was going to be the green dot, but we’re not playing a game for a while. We’ve got time. There’ll be trial and error, there will be different things, there’ll be different packages of guys being together.”

The reason why it’s the right approach is because you don’t want to put this on someone’s plate just for it to fall through because the player can’t handle it. A lot of guys can wear the green dot, but it’s definitely not for everyone and it takes a little bit of time to figure out if someone can handle it or not.

The last thing a team wants to do is waste time. So, by having everyone learn the role and see who rises to the top is a smart, efficient approach by Schottenheimer.

And that’s not even the best part. If the guy wearing the green dot gets hurt for an extended period of time, well, now you have multiple guys who can help fill the void and it wouldn’t be a new experience or responsibility for them.

It’ll be interesting to see who eventually seals the deal. Dee Winters said himself that he’s never worn the green dot, before. Jaishawn Barham is a rookie and DeMarvion Overshown is in a new defense. It’d be a different situation for the latter if this was last year’s defense, as he’d have the most familiarity. That’s clearly not the case with Christian Parker, however.

This will be a fun storyline to monitor as the offseason progresses and how it affects the Cowboys defense during the regular season.