Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer enters his second season leading America’s Team with promising energy surrounding the organization. The coaching staff is taking shape, the defense received a significant overhaul, and the offense was one of the best in football last year. But vibes alone won’t cut it.

If the Cowboys don’t translate the positive momentum into a winning record and a playoff berth, questions about Schottenheimer’s job security will surface faster than anyone in Dallas wants to admit.

Cowboys vibes are through the roof

I’ll be the first to tell you: I did not like the Schottenheimer hire when it happened. More than anything, I did not like the process. The Cowboys didn’t even interview candidates like Ben Johnson or Aaron Glenn, who were on everyone’s radar. Dallas kept its search limited to familiar names, interviewing Kellen Moore and Schottenheimer, with Robert Saleh and Leslie Frazier rounding out a surprisingly narrow pool.

But here’s what I do know. Since the moment Schottenheimer took the job, he has made smart decisions. The Klayton Adams hire as offensive coordinator was a home run. Schottenheimer went outside the box to build his offensive coaching staff, and one year later, he did the same thing on the other side of the ball by hiring Christian Parker as defensive coordinator. Parker is a 34-year-old coach who had never been a coordinator before, the same situation Adams was in last year. That goes completely against the Cowboys’ historical pattern of recycling former head coaches into defensive coordinator roles.

The way Schottenheimer has related to his players has also been encouraging. And hey, he led a Top 5 offense in football last season! He oversaw Adams’ overhaul of the Cowboys’ run game. And even though you can still see principles from the Mike McCarthy and Kellen Moore eras, Schottenheimer tapped into an old-school offensive style and modernized it. He may be no Sean McVay, but the Cowboys’ offense drew praise around the NFL because of how well designed it was. 

And yet… 

Vibes are just not going to be enough.

The Cowboys invested real capital on the defensive side of the ball this offseason. They drafted safety Caleb Downs in the first round and added more talent in the same round via edge rusher Malachi Lawrence. The defensive coaching staff is one Schottenheimer handpicked. Factor in the signings of starting-caliber defensive backs like Cobie Durant and Jalen Thompson, and this defense should be much better. It’s on Schottenheimer to make sure the offense remains as productive as it was a year ago.

Naturally, if the Cowboys don’t have a winning record and don’t make the playoffs, questions will exist two years into his coaching tenure. You can say whatever you want about McCarthy, but Dallas had three consecutive 12-win seasons under him, a run that started in Year 2 of his tenure. 

If the Cowboys don’t take a leap forward in Schotty’s Year 2, I’m wondering what the tone will be after the 2026 season ends. I am bullish on what Schottenheimer has done. But with an offense featuring Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and George Pickens, wins should be expected this season. 

The Dak factor adds urgency

Now, I want to be very clear. I’m not saying you only give Schottenheimer a two-year grace period. If you want him to build something, you have to give him time. But if the Cowboys miss the playoffs and there’s a huge question mark surrounding the long-term future of quarterback Dak Prescott because of his contract and his age, then you have to wonder if the front office gets impatient. I do.

Dallas took a long time to stack together consecutive wins last season. It didn’t happen until Week 12! That cannot be the case in 2026. The Cowboys also had four games with 17 points or fewer (three if you don’t count Week 18). That cannot happen again. Situationally, in the red zone, in close games, this team needs to take a step forward.

For now, the vibes are great. Schottenheimer is building something that feels different from what came before. But the Cowboys are going to need victories in 2026, and if they miss the playoffs, the conversation around his job security in 2027 gets uncomfortable in a hurry. We’ll see.