The Dallas Cowboys have set themselves up incredibly well to be successful on offense again this season. They are the only team in the NFC that not only brought back all 11 starters on offense, but they also retained their playcaller (Brian Schottenheimer) and offensive coordinator (Klayton Adams). That level of continuity is unheard of in the salary cap era.
But for the Cowboys to be a successful team in 2026, they are going to need their defense to step up. And that’s why the front office made so many investments on that side of the ball, including hiring Christian Parker as their defensive coordinator. The hope is that by the midpoint of the 2026 season, the defense will be able to hold its own and keep up with the offense.
However, the Cowboys do have an ace up their sleeve with Dak Prescott, should the defense struggle. Prescott is one of the very best quarterbacks in the league and every season he is healthy, the Cowboys are almost always among the league-leaders in points per game. But is there a chance the offense could hit new heights in 2026? And is that even a good thing for Dallas?
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott predicted to throw for 5,000 yards in 2026
Prescott entered the NFL as a ball-control quarterback, who, at times, was more dangerous with his legs than his arm. But as he has developed as a player, he’s become one of the most prolific passers in the NFL. Prescott has led the NFL in completions twice (2023, 2025) and he led the league in passing touchdowns during the 2023 season.
However, he has yet to lead the league in passing yards despite coming awfully close in several years. That could certainly change during the upcoming season.
In a recent article by Benjamin Solak of ESPN, he gave 10 bold predictions ahead of the 2026 season, such as the Texans winning the AFC and the Chiefs missing the postseason once again. The Cowboys appeared on the list as Solak predicted that Prescott would be the first quarterback in franchise history to top 5,000 passing yards in a single season.
“Last season, the Cowboys rediscovered their superspeed ways in their first year under coach Brian Schottenheimer and coordinator Klayton Adams," Solak wrote. "The Cowboys once again led the league in play clock remaining at the snap, and this time, they led the league in offensive plays per game. Prescott had a career-high 600 total pass attempts. The volume will be there for Prescott to not just lead the league in passing in 2026 but to once again challenge for the 5,000-yard milestone.”
Solak pointed out that for Prescott must average over 294 yards per game to clear 5,000 for a season, which is very reasonable for him considering that he’s already had a season where he threw for over 306 yards per game (2019). Prescott played 16 games that season and ended up just short of 5,000 yards.
It’s also worth noting that Prescott has had multiple seasons with at least 265 passing yards per game (2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2025) and shouldn’t be all that difficult for him to average 30 more yards per game, especially with these weapons. But it might not be great news for the Cowboys if Prescott is forced to post these numbers.
Make no mistake, the Cowboys will and should have an elite offense in 2026. When you are paying that much for this unit, it better be among the best in the NFL. However, the hope is that they can build early leads and then lean on their rushing attack late in games to keep the defense off the field.
If Prescott is forced to average 35 or more passing attempts per game, which is what he did in 2025, it likely means that the defense hasn’t improved. A better goal would be around 30 attempts and hopefully, fewer fourth-quarter attempts.
Would it be cool to see Prescott crack 5,000 yards and be the first quarterback in franchise history to do so? Of course, but that’s probably not the best outcome for the rest of the team. Drake Maye threw 108 fewer passes in 2025 despite playing the same number of games as Prescott. It’s unlikely that the Cowboys will have a defense as good as the 2025 Patriots, but you get the point.
There is no doubt that Prescott has the talent and the weapons to surpass 5,000 yards in 2026. But the goal shouldn’t be to break statistical records; it should be to win games. And playing (slightly) slower and keeping the defense off the field as much as possible -- especially early in the season -- could be their best path toward victory.
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