It was a consequential offseason for the Dallas Cowboys, and now the stage is set for America's Team to have a successful 2026 NFL season. With the scope honed after trimming the roster down to 53, Brian Schottenheimer and Co. can fully prepare for Week 1 against the New York Giants.
But part of being ready for opening weekend is having a clear vision and strong role definition. That includes the determination of who is starting, who will still play a role and how often the depth pieces rotate in. It's a science to learn, in a way, albeit an imperfect one that needs constant tweaking.
On Tuesday, the Cowboys released the latest version of their depth chart just days before facing off against their NFC East foe. Although Dallas is still calling this pecking order "unofficial," some important conclusions can be drawn from the information provided. Here are three big takeaways.
3 big takeaways from latest iteration of Dallas Cowboys' depth chart
Cowboys playing CB2 battle close to the vest
Most teams would have listed who their second starting cornerback is by now, but that's not how the Cowboys roll. Opposite DaRon Bland, it still says "Cobie Durant OR Shavon Revel." And that's fine; maybe this is a form of gamesmanship, or maybe Dallas really, truly, does not know yet.
I doubt that, though. In all likelihood, it'll be Durant who starts the contest, but Revel should still rotate in. It would be a travesty not to see both, so it'll be interesting to monitor the snap counts between the two, or the situations and matchups in which each is employed.
Malik Hooker ... OR P.J. Locke?
Hooker has been in the fold for five years and the full-time starter for the last three seasons. And all offseason, nobody really questioned whether he'd be the first-team strong safety or not under Christian Parker. But all of a sudden, it now says "Malik Hooker OR P.J. Locke." That's a big change.
Of course, fans are excited about Locke, and his history with Parker is a great thing. Locke was always going to be a solid piece of the safety rotation. But his suddenly being in the starter conversation is a bit out of left field, and perhaps indicative of how often we'll see him on the field come Sunday.
Dee Winters keeps the edge over Jaishawn Barham
It was hard not to overreact to Barham's first preseason performance, as he was everywhere for the Dallas defense. And he followed that up with another solid showing in the finale. But Winters is still a veteran player with skins on the wall who has been pretty underrated since coming to the Cowboys.
As with other defensive positions, Barham should rotate in with Winters and play with DeMarvion Overshown, but the rookie is not being anointed quite yet. It may not be long until he's making an impact, but he's being brought along a tad bit slower than fans thought he would after his initial surge.
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