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By Jon Machota
Oct. 9, 2026 Updated 7:44 am CDT
ARLINGTON, Texas — Several times over the last three months, Jerry Jones has made comments, sometimes in jest, about the Dallas Cowboys’ defense being better this year because it can’t be any worse than last year.
Five games in, Jones can’t be too sure about that any more.
Facing an undrafted rookie quarterback making his second start for a winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers team, the Cowboys suffered a stunning 24-16 loss Thursday night at AT&T Stadium.
“We are still, in my mind, right where we started relative to our defense,” Jones said after the game.
Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer disagreed.
“Certainly, Jerry’s going to have his opinions and I respect his opinions certainly, but I do think that today was a disappointing day, but there has been things,” he said. “You got to get off the field on third down. We have to not turn the football over. I mean, you can’t be minus-3 and win a game in the National Football League. That’s not going to work.
“When you go into these games and these situations, it’s going to come down to the fourth quarter. And we had a chance and unfortunately we just couldn’t get enough momentum going to punch the ball in. The turnovers killed us. Those are as a football team, not just one side.”
Schottenheimer is correct, Thursday night’s loss is not all on the defense. The Cowboys’ talented offense didn’t play close to its standards. They had the ball 10 times and only twice looked like the team we’ve seen play at an elite level, particularly in the second half last Sunday in Houston.
Dak Prescott didn’t play well. CeeDee Lamb only had two catches for nine yards. The running game managed only 50 yards.
But that all can be fixed.
The defense, however, has shown little to no signs for anyone to expect a significant turnaround. They don’t stop the run. They don’t get the quarterback on the ground. They defend poorly on the back end. They don’t take the ball away. Thursday night, they committed far too many critical penalties and they tackled poorly.
So, what is there to feel optimistic about?
Last season, Matt Eberflus took most of the blame for what was arguably the worst defense in franchise history. A key factor for that group is that All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons was traded seven days before the season opener. Despite adding veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark in that trade and later trading for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, the 2025 defense never built any real momentum. As the games went on, it was obvious that Eberflus wasn’t going to return.
He didn’t, and Dallas conducted a large search to find his replacement. They interviewed nine candidates. Although Christian Parker had never called a defense, his impressive resume and standout interviews made him the choice. Jones and company then spent significant resources to revitalize the roster on that side of the ball.
They signed defensive backs Jalen Thompson, Cobie Durant and P.J. Locke in free agency. They added veteran defensive tackles Otito Ogbonnia and Jonathan Bullard. They traded for starting edge rusher Rashan Gary.
They drafted defensive back Caleb Downs and edge rusher Malachi Lawrence in the first round. They drafted linebacker Jaishawn Barham in the third round. They traded for linebacker Dee Winters during the draft. They signed edge rusher Von Miller during training camp. They traded for standout cornerback Joey Porter Jr. last week.
While several have missed time because of injury, there hasn’t been much notable improvement even when they’ve been on the field.
It’s easy to transfer the blame that was going to Eberflus right over to Parker. But Schottenheimer and Jones also deserve plenty of the blame. They had the same roles in last year’s defensive disaster.
Jones was asked about Parker and potentially making coaching staff changes after the game. He didn’t appear to have any interest. He called Parker “competent.”
Williams said the players have “100 percent faith” in Parker.
“At the end of the day, we step in between those lines and we got to execute to the best of our abilities every single down,” Williams added. “No matter what CP calls, we got to execute.”
Speaking of Williams, this is how bad the Cowboys have been at taking the ball away. They are the NFL’s only team that does not have an interception this season. Their last interception came in Week 15 last season when Williams picked off Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy, who was recently traded to the New York Giants.
Since the start of last year, the Cowboys have a league-worst -194.92 defensive EPA, according to TruMedia. The next worst in that span is the Washington Commanders at -125.56.
Opponents’ passer rating against the Cowboys is currently 120.5, which remains the worst in the NFL. Their opponents’ yards per play is 6.4, also worst in the league.
Tampa Bay QB Jalon Daniels rarely seemed rattled Thursday night, completing 19-of-25 passes for 189 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and a 110.2 passer rating. Some of his best work came on the Buccaneers’ first possession. Following the Cowboys’ opening touchdown drive, Daniels led his team on a 15-play TD drive that ate up almost 11 minutes of game clock.
That’s the drive that bothered Jones most. It set the tone.
The night got off to an odd start as Porter was expected to make his home debut. But after arriving at the stadium, he was feeling ill. He then left about two hours before kickoff and was one of Dallas’ inactives.
It also had a strange ending. A stadium worker, said to be a third-party contractor for the valet parking area near the home locker room, yelled “embarrassing” in Prescott’s direction while he was headed to the postgame locker room.
The comment annoyed the Cowboys QB, who said after the game: “When he said it, I just happened to look at him, and at that point he looked away, didn’t look. And when I turned my head back, he said something else. That’s the part that, as a man, or just as a person, feel free to speak your mind. Just speak it. Don’t (cower) away from the reaction that you’re going to get. If you’re saying it’s embarrassing, say it’s embarrassing. If you’re saying it to me, then say it to me. Don’t go back on it. That’s all that was, and hate it that it’s even being talked about, to be honest with you.”
It’s understandable why Prescott would be frustrated. He didn’t have his best game and he’s now looking at being on a team with one of the league’s worst defenses for a second consecutive season.
“I don’t know if there are any major concerns,” Prescott said. “If anything, it’s making sure my teammates and guys don’t lose belief in one another. Just even from the question of saying our defense hadn’t gotten better, making sure that they’re not listening to that, honestly.
“We control what we do, whether it’s offense, whether it’s defense, whether it’s an individual in the way that he prepares and studies and takes care of his body and gives everything to this game. So for me, it’s just about being contagious and saying the right things to make sure my teammates understand that they control and we control our destiny.
“That’s the good part of it being five games into the season, is we absolutely do. We don’t have to look left and right and go check the numbers of who’s winning, who’s beating who. We still control that. Just continue to believe in one another.”
It’s not a surprise that Prescott was speaking positively after the loss. There might not be a more positive NFL player, especially in difficult times.
But the sample size is getting larger and the defensive issues aren’t disappearing. Jones has invested a lot in this year’s roster and he says he remains open for business. A few more games like Thursday night and it won’t make much sense to part with any more notable future draft picks.
“If we do see an opportunity, and it fits for us, then we’ll take a good look at it,” Jones said. “This isn’t fold the tents here (on the season).”
Oct. 9, 2026 Updated 7:44 am CDT
ARLINGTON, Texas — Several times over the last three months, Jerry Jones has made comments, sometimes in jest, about the Dallas Cowboys’ defense being better this year because it can’t be any worse than last year.
Five games in, Jones can’t be too sure about that any more.
Facing an undrafted rookie quarterback making his second start for a winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers team, the Cowboys suffered a stunning 24-16 loss Thursday night at AT&T Stadium.
“We are still, in my mind, right where we started relative to our defense,” Jones said after the game.
Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer disagreed.
“Certainly, Jerry’s going to have his opinions and I respect his opinions certainly, but I do think that today was a disappointing day, but there has been things,” he said. “You got to get off the field on third down. We have to not turn the football over. I mean, you can’t be minus-3 and win a game in the National Football League. That’s not going to work.
“When you go into these games and these situations, it’s going to come down to the fourth quarter. And we had a chance and unfortunately we just couldn’t get enough momentum going to punch the ball in. The turnovers killed us. Those are as a football team, not just one side.”
Schottenheimer is correct, Thursday night’s loss is not all on the defense. The Cowboys’ talented offense didn’t play close to its standards. They had the ball 10 times and only twice looked like the team we’ve seen play at an elite level, particularly in the second half last Sunday in Houston.
Dak Prescott didn’t play well. CeeDee Lamb only had two catches for nine yards. The running game managed only 50 yards.
But that all can be fixed.
The defense, however, has shown little to no signs for anyone to expect a significant turnaround. They don’t stop the run. They don’t get the quarterback on the ground. They defend poorly on the back end. They don’t take the ball away. Thursday night, they committed far too many critical penalties and they tackled poorly.
So, what is there to feel optimistic about?
Last season, Matt Eberflus took most of the blame for what was arguably the worst defense in franchise history. A key factor for that group is that All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons was traded seven days before the season opener. Despite adding veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark in that trade and later trading for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, the 2025 defense never built any real momentum. As the games went on, it was obvious that Eberflus wasn’t going to return.
He didn’t, and Dallas conducted a large search to find his replacement. They interviewed nine candidates. Although Christian Parker had never called a defense, his impressive resume and standout interviews made him the choice. Jones and company then spent significant resources to revitalize the roster on that side of the ball.
They signed defensive backs Jalen Thompson, Cobie Durant and P.J. Locke in free agency. They added veteran defensive tackles Otito Ogbonnia and Jonathan Bullard. They traded for starting edge rusher Rashan Gary.
They drafted defensive back Caleb Downs and edge rusher Malachi Lawrence in the first round. They drafted linebacker Jaishawn Barham in the third round. They traded for linebacker Dee Winters during the draft. They signed edge rusher Von Miller during training camp. They traded for standout cornerback Joey Porter Jr. last week.
While several have missed time because of injury, there hasn’t been much notable improvement even when they’ve been on the field.
It’s easy to transfer the blame that was going to Eberflus right over to Parker. But Schottenheimer and Jones also deserve plenty of the blame. They had the same roles in last year’s defensive disaster.
Jones was asked about Parker and potentially making coaching staff changes after the game. He didn’t appear to have any interest. He called Parker “competent.”
Williams said the players have “100 percent faith” in Parker.
“At the end of the day, we step in between those lines and we got to execute to the best of our abilities every single down,” Williams added. “No matter what CP calls, we got to execute.”
Speaking of Williams, this is how bad the Cowboys have been at taking the ball away. They are the NFL’s only team that does not have an interception this season. Their last interception came in Week 15 last season when Williams picked off Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy, who was recently traded to the New York Giants.
Since the start of last year, the Cowboys have a league-worst -194.92 defensive EPA, according to TruMedia. The next worst in that span is the Washington Commanders at -125.56.
Opponents’ passer rating against the Cowboys is currently 120.5, which remains the worst in the NFL. Their opponents’ yards per play is 6.4, also worst in the league.
Tampa Bay QB Jalon Daniels rarely seemed rattled Thursday night, completing 19-of-25 passes for 189 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and a 110.2 passer rating. Some of his best work came on the Buccaneers’ first possession. Following the Cowboys’ opening touchdown drive, Daniels led his team on a 15-play TD drive that ate up almost 11 minutes of game clock.
That’s the drive that bothered Jones most. It set the tone.
The night got off to an odd start as Porter was expected to make his home debut. But after arriving at the stadium, he was feeling ill. He then left about two hours before kickoff and was one of Dallas’ inactives.
It also had a strange ending. A stadium worker, said to be a third-party contractor for the valet parking area near the home locker room, yelled “embarrassing” in Prescott’s direction while he was headed to the postgame locker room.
The comment annoyed the Cowboys QB, who said after the game: “When he said it, I just happened to look at him, and at that point he looked away, didn’t look. And when I turned my head back, he said something else. That’s the part that, as a man, or just as a person, feel free to speak your mind. Just speak it. Don’t (cower) away from the reaction that you’re going to get. If you’re saying it’s embarrassing, say it’s embarrassing. If you’re saying it to me, then say it to me. Don’t go back on it. That’s all that was, and hate it that it’s even being talked about, to be honest with you.”
It’s understandable why Prescott would be frustrated. He didn’t have his best game and he’s now looking at being on a team with one of the league’s worst defenses for a second consecutive season.
“I don’t know if there are any major concerns,” Prescott said. “If anything, it’s making sure my teammates and guys don’t lose belief in one another. Just even from the question of saying our defense hadn’t gotten better, making sure that they’re not listening to that, honestly.
“We control what we do, whether it’s offense, whether it’s defense, whether it’s an individual in the way that he prepares and studies and takes care of his body and gives everything to this game. So for me, it’s just about being contagious and saying the right things to make sure my teammates understand that they control and we control our destiny.
“That’s the good part of it being five games into the season, is we absolutely do. We don’t have to look left and right and go check the numbers of who’s winning, who’s beating who. We still control that. Just continue to believe in one another.”
It’s not a surprise that Prescott was speaking positively after the loss. There might not be a more positive NFL player, especially in difficult times.
But the sample size is getting larger and the defensive issues aren’t disappearing. Jones has invested a lot in this year’s roster and he says he remains open for business. A few more games like Thursday night and it won’t make much sense to part with any more notable future draft picks.
“If we do see an opportunity, and it fits for us, then we’ll take a good look at it,” Jones said. “This isn’t fold the tents here (on the season).”
