No matter where Troy Aikman’s NFL expertise takes him, the Dallas Cowboys shall listen when he speaks. After spending all 12 seasons of his NFL career with America’s Team, the Hall of Famer has consistently wanted what’s best for Dallas and remains eager to see the franchise end its 30-year Super Bowl drought. While Jerry Jones has already done his due diligence by strengthening the team’s defense after last season’s struggles, the former quarterback is surprisingly more concerned about the other side of the ball heading into the 2026 season.

“Can that offense continue to play at the level that they did last year? That’s a big if,” said Aikman on ESPN’s Get Up. “It was one of Dak Prescott’s best years. It was George Pickens’ career year, and it was Javonte Williams’ career year. There was a lot that happened on the offensive side of the ball. The numbers may not look as good. In fact, I think if you’re a Cowboys fan, you hope the offensive numbers don’t look as good. Because that would then mean that the defense is better and playing a much bigger role in the success of that team.”

In layman’s terms, the Dallas Cowboys’ offense was arguably among the top in the 2025 season. As per Fox Sports’ rankings, they ranked second with 391.9 average yards and 51 touchdowns, after the Los Angeles Rams. Despite that, the Cowboys finished the regular season with a 7–9–1 record. Even though they placed 2nd in the NFC East, the team failed to qualify for the playoffs.

Surely, it could raise questions about how a good offensive unit failed to lead the Cowboys to a better season. The answer lies with their defense. They ranked 30th with only 377 average defense yards and 59 touchdowns allowed. Since their offense reached an unsustainably high performance peak last year, a statistical drop-off might actually signal a healthier, more balanced team.

Elite offensive plays can often be correlated to the team having a rather weak defense, which forces the primary side of the ball to force urgent comebacks and high-scoring shootouts. Remember the Cowboys’ overtime victory against the Giants last year? America’s Team contributed to 12 penalties for 106 yards in a highly undisciplined game. The secondary allowed a total of 37 points before the offense had to take matters into its own hands.

After surrendering the late touchdown, Cowboys QB Dak Prescott immediately went into overdrive. Prescott finished the day with 361 yards and two touchdowns to match the Giants’ QB, Russell Wilson’s, firepower. This 40-37 win, alongside their historic 40-40 overtime tie against the Green Bay Packers in Week 4, proved that while the blue and white had one of the NFL’s top-scoring offenses, it was entirely unnecessary because their last-ranked defense allowed a franchise-record 30.1 points per game.

Troy Aikman believes that a better defense over offense plays a more important role in a team’s success. If the team builds a stronger defense that can shut down opponents, they can control the tempo and reduce the need for explosive offensive production. Back in the 1990s, when Troy Aikman led the offense, both units consistently ranked among the league’s top five. Having experienced what it takes to build a dynasty firsthand, the legendary quarterback hopes to see that same balance and chemistry return once again.

With that, the former quarterback also asserted confidence in the Cowboys’ new defensive coordinator, Christian Parker, who won Super Bowl LIX with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024.

“They can only get better,” Aikman added. “And it’s early, I understand that, but I do like the hire of Christian Parker. I think sometimes you bring in a young assistant who is getting his opportunity after having coached under some really good people over the course of his career. He comes in with a good resume. All indications are that the players are excited about it.”

Heading into the 2026 season, the Cowboys have made major defensive additions. EDGE Rashan Gary, Safety Caleb Downs, LB Dee Winters, and EDGE Malachi Lawrence are among the top signings. It seems that the Cowboys are on a similar path to what Aikman has attributed to a successful NFL season. However, amid that, Aikman has not taken away the Cowboys’ offense’s prolific 2025 performance.

Troy Aikman sings high praises of Dak Prescott’s leadership

The Dallas Cowboys’ 2025 offensive starting unit featured QB Dak Prescott, RB Javonte Williams, WR Ceedee Lamb, WR George Pickens, and TE Jake Ferguson, along with the offensive line. The performance of these standout players is what ranked them among the top offensive units last season.

Leading the chart was their quarterback, Prescott, who finished the 2025 season with 4,552 passing yards and 30 touchdowns. And Cowboys legend Troy Aikman didn’t shy away from acknowledging his input in the offensive unit’s success.

“Dak handles it really well,” said Aikman in the aforementioned conversation. “Him being a veteran guy, and I think also his leadership skills come out in those situations, because you know all receivers they do want the ball, the running backs want the ball, and as a quarterback, especially when you’re as prolific as they were last year, there’s a lot of conversation. But I think Dak manages that exceptionally well, and also a credit to CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.”

Aikman also spoke highly of wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. Lamb recorded 1,077 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 14 games played, while Pickens finished the 2025 season with 1,429 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 17 games. Despite that, the Cowboys didn’t quite have a positive overall season.

While a lot of the blame was directed towards Dak Prescott, another Cowboys legend, Emmitt Smith came to the 32-year-old QB’s defense.

“Last year, the guy was a top-five QB. Nobody wants to talk about that,” said Smith in April 2026. “When you have a sorry-a** defense like we had last year and you have Dak putting up the numbers he put up, all that is not on him… You don’t have a defense. Defense wins championships… If the defense improved 20%, we win a little bit more and make the playoffs.”

Now, the Cowboys’ offensive unit remains the same for the 2026 season. But the defensive unit has undergone a major overhaul. Considering that, it will be interesting to see how their season unfolds.