While the Dallas Cowboys have several needs to address on both the offensive side of the football and on special teams during this 2026 offseason, the unit that undoubtedly requires the most help is the defense.
After moving on from defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer after just one season, America's Team brought back former assistant Matt Eberflus, who spent seven years with the franchise from 2011 to 2017 as the lead linebackers coach, also served as the defensive passing game coordinator in his final two campaigns before becoming the DC for the Indianapolis Colts in 2018.
And simply put, things did not go well, as the Dallas defense ranked 30th in total yards allowed (377.0) and dead last in points allowed (30.1) per game during the 2025 regular season. As such, Eberflus was fired two days after the campaign concluded, and after an exhaustive and surprisingly patient search, the Cowboys ultimately landed on Philadelphia Eagles passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Christian Parker to replace him.
The players Parker will have to work with naturally depend somewhat on how Dallas handles free agency, but there's obviously also the matter of the 2026 NFL Draft. Now, mock drafts are tricky this time of year, of course, but the Cowboys are likely to still need plenty of defensive help even after free agency, and The Athletic actually has Jerry Jones doing the right thing in their latest mock by taking a pair of defensive players with their two first-round picks.
The Athletic has the Cowboys adding a linebacker and a cornerback in the first round of the 2026 draft
Nick Baumgardner and Scott Dochterman of The Athletic recently constructed a two-round mock draft, but since the Cowboys traded their second-round pick to the New York Jets in the Quinnen Williams deal, we'll obviously only deal with the opening round here.
No. 12 overall: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
The Cowboys will make their first selection at No. 12 overall, and the choice from Baumgardner and Dochterman is Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles.
"One of the most unique players in the draft, Styles is a 6-4, 243-pound linebacker who used to be a safety — and still runs like one. He brings coverage instincts, improved (and improving) work as a run fitter and a pretty fearless mindset. Styles could be the linebacker version of Seattle safety hybrid Nick Emmanwori."
The linebacker position was a major problem for the Cowboys in 2025, and Styles would certainly bring some much-needed athleticism to a group that likely will no longer include Kenneth Murray or Jack Sanborn, both of whom are set to become unrestricted free agents. And midseason acquisition Logan Wilson seems like a strong cut candidate at this point as well.
As a converted defensive back, Styles certainly knows what he's doing in pass coverage, and his ability to stop the run vastly improved this past season. In fact, his 87.8 PFF run-defense grade was slightly better than his 87.4 coverage grade for the 2025 campaign, and he only missed two tackles all season.
And the beauty of his aforementioned athleticism is that he can disguise run or pass coverage and quickly convert to the other as necessary. His stock is rising by the day, so if he's there at No. 12, this is a great pick.
No. 20: Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina
At No. 20 overall, which is the pick the Cowboys received from the Green Bay Packers in the Micah Parsons deal, The Athletic has Dallas selecting South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse.
"Cisse was known as one of the fastest players in South Carolina’s program last year after transferring from NC State. That’s some serious gas on a team that includes world-class sprinter Nyck Harbor, who has topped 22 miles per hour on the GPS.
"Dallas gets the corner it needs."
With Trevon Diggs out of the picture, there's obviously an open cornerback slot available, and Cisse could slide in and provide some solid depth alongside DaRon Bland and Shavon Revel Jr.
Cisse isn't nearly as pro-ready as Styles, but as the mock mentioned, his speed is difficult to ignore, as he can clearly keep up on deep routes. But beyond that, the 20-year-old has the length to be disruptive in press coverage and can effectively sit on short routes. And his run defense is fantastic (we know Jerry Jones loves that), as evidenced by his 89.2 PFF grade in that regard, which ranked 18th among 890 eligible cornerbacks across the country in 2025.
However, Cisse still has problems recognizing routes at times on the snap, and his ability to read the quarterback needs to improve. Overall, however, he's a solid prospect who will certainly have plenty of suitors in the later stages of the first round.