The Dallas Cowboys know they have an explosive offense and they believe their defensive additions have addressed their weaknesses.
Now, all that's left is to use those pieces to their advantage in order to deliver on expectations that land well beyond their 7-9-1 finish in 2025.
"It sucks," Prescott said last week of missing the playoffs in 2024 and 2025, . "Definitely. But we're pushing. That's our goal, that's a minimum. When you have a team like this and they've done everything they have in the offseason, obviously we got to push and get better on offense, but when we know we're already improving on defense, that's the minimum. That's everybody's goal in here."
Coach Brian Schottenheimer echoed similar expectations, telling reporters he's very confident in his team's roster and the quality of people they have in their building, which propels his belief in his team's chances of winning a Super Bowl.
"I feel very, very confident and believe we're going to find a way to be in that game (the Super Bowl) and win it," he .
On paper, Dallas has every reason to feel strongly about its chances of success in 2026. They Cowboys have married an outrageously productive offense with a reconstructed defense that should be significantly better than the 30th-ranked until that torpedoed their chances of playoff contention last season.
Of course, assembling a roster is only half of the job. The other portion comes together in spring activities and training camp. With half of that process now complete and early results suggesting the defense -- a unit now coordinated by 34-year-old Christian Parker -- is already turning a corner by challenging the Cowboys offense during minicamp, optimism is understandably on the rise.
"I believe defense wins championships," Schottenheimer said. "I do believe that. And so if the defense is giving us headaches, that's fine by me."
Summer is the perfect time for sunny outlooks that match the blue skies of the season, but as Prescott and Schottenheimer both know all too well, the talk doesn't matter unless the results in the fall and winter match it.
Prescott believes they'll back up the sentiment on the field, so much that he guaranteed a recent arrival, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, that he'll be playing meaningful football in January.
"To hear (Williams) say he's never been to the playoffs, that's what you want to do it for," Prescott said. "And that's what I told him. I said, 'I'll get you the playoffs. I'm going to need you to go help us win it.'"
We'll see if he can deliver on his promise.
