OXNARD, Calif. – Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones and Brian Schottenheimer took the stage Tuesday on the tennis courts at the Dallas Cowboys’ training camp grounds and addressed the media, setting the tone for the 2026 NFL season.
For the first time in several summers, the Cowboys have no unresolved contracts. They also open training camp with full participation, and no players on the physically unable to perform or non-football injury/illness lists.
That stability comes after an active offseason focused on a soft rebuild of a defense that underperformed in 2025 and held back one of the NFL’s top offenses.
“I like the idea that the word is that we have had a quiet offseason relative to off the field, noise or chatter, whatever you want to call it,” Jones said with a smile. “That hasn’t been the case. We’ve had a lot going on, and we’ve had to really scramble a lot.”
“We’ve had a very active (offseason); we have made a lot of decisions, we have made a lot of difficult decisions in my mind,” Jones said.
The owner said the Cowboys conducted as many as 45 coaching interviews as they overhauled the defense on a larger scale than initially planned. First-time defensive coordinator Christian Parker now leads the unit.
Offensive expectations remain high.
Schottenheimer and quarterback Dak Prescott have been clear that the goal is a Super Bowl, and Jones is letting them lead with that tone and confidence rather than driving the narrative himself.
When asked directly, Jones said he expects significant improvement in 2026 as the offense builds on its strong 2025 season and the defense rebounds from a low point.
Jones added he remains open to acquiring a big-name defensive player, drawing from the Los Angeles Rams’ approach to building contenders.
“I’d give up future to add substantive to where we are today as to a player,” Jones said. “To give you an idea about what I invest, something substantive to get the right kind of deal to improve us opening day. I feel that good about this thing this year.”
The Cowboys will open up training camp with their first practice without pads on Wednesday. The KSAT 12 sports team is in Oxnard with live coverage on KSAT 12, KSAT Plus and KSAT.com.
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