It's been just over a week now since the 2025 NFL season came to its official end with the Seattle Seahawks' Super Bowl 60 victory over the New England Patriots, and analysts have wasted little time opining on how things will play out during the 2026 campaign.
ESPN recently got 11 of its experts together to offer up some predictions, with each giving their thoughts on next season's Super Bowl 61 matchup and making their respective picks for NFL MVP. And just to get this out of the way, none of the 11 had the Dallas Cowboys getting back to the Big Game for the first time in more than three decades, but Matt Bowen did at least call for Dak Prescott to win Most Valuable Player. So, that's nice.
In addition, each was asked to make one additional prediction, either about a big move a team will make during the offseason or on anything else related to the 2026 regular season, and Seth Walder stepped up and made a bold projection that America's Team will win the NFC East to get back to the postseason after missing out in each of the last two years.
ESPN's Seth Walder says the Dallas Cowboys will win the NFC East in 2026
Here's what Walder, who had the Los Angeles Chargers taking on the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl 61 and Josh Allen winning NFL MVP, had to say with his extra prediction:
"The Cowboys will win the NFC East. Dak Prescott and the Dallas offense played extremely well last season, which went under the radar in part because the defense was so bad. The latter should improve through regression alone. If Dallas can get its defense to be just OK, the Cowboys could become contenders very quickly."
Walder's quick assessment of the Cowboys' 2025 season was certainly spot-on, as their offense was genuinely one of the best in the league in 2025, ranking second in the NFL total yards per game (391.9) and seventh in scoring (27.7).
The Dallas defense, meanwhile, was absolutely atrocious, ranking 30th in total yards allowed, giving up 377.0 per game, and dead last in scoring, surrendering 30.1 points per contest.
As such, defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus was fired after just one season and has been replaced with 34-year-old Christian Parker, who spent the last two seasons as the defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator with none other than the team the Cowboys are trying to topple in the NFC East, the Philadelphia Eagles.
There's certainly work to be done for Jerry Jones & Co. this offseason, as Dallas has more than 20 players set to enter some form of free agency, a list that includes several starters from this past season.
Wide receiver George Pickens may not make it that far, as most assume the Cowboys will slap him with the franchise tag. But even if Pickens comes back to keep the team rolling on offense, Dallas undoubtedly needs to focus on getting Parker some new players on the defensive side of the ball for this prediction to have any chance of coming to fruition.