FRISCO, Texas – The second year of the Brian Schottenheimer era of Cowboys football is just around the corner, as Dallas prepares to embark on the 2026 regular season.
Following a 7-9-1 finish in 2025, the Cowboys are looking for a better result in 2026, with a new defensive staff led by defensive coordinator Christian Parker and nearly all of the offensive talent returning.
Alongside traveling the fourth-most miles in the NFL this season, the Cowboys will also face seven teams that reached the playoffs in 2025. Dallas will have plenty of opportunities to prove itself as a contender in 2026, especially during tough stretches with limited rest throughout the season.
Let's break down how the 2026 schedule shapes up for the Cowboys, continuing with their NFC East opponents. Up next is the Philadelphia Eagles.
Biggest Overall Change
After struggling to find consistency on offense in 2025, the Eagles decided to part ways with offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. With that comes a completely new offensive coaching staff, led by former Packers quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion, who was hired as their new offensive coordinator.
Mannion will be the 11th different offensive coordinator/play caller that Eagles QB Jalen Hurts will have had in his football career, dating back to his 2016 freshman season at Alabama.
Additionally, the Eagles no longer have one of the best position coaches in the league on the staff. Offensive line coach and run game coordinator Jeff Stoutland, who had been with the organization since 2013 and has produced a combined 26 Pro Bowl and 14 All-Pro seasons, announced he would be leaving the team in February. Under Stoutland, the Eagles had developed stars on the offensive line and have been one of the more formidable position groups in the NFL.
Biggest Roster Addition
With questions surrounding the future of Pro Bowl wide receiver AJ Brown in Philadelphia, addressing the position going into the offseason became a priority for the Eagles, given they've made four additions to the room thus far this offseason.
While the additions of veterans certainly helps, the headliner is first-round pick Makai Lemon out of USC. The Eagles traded two fourth-round picks to move up three spots with the Cowboys in order to select Lemon at 20th overall, leading to Dallas drafting EDGE Malachi Lawrence.
Lemon became the second winner of the Biletnikoff award, given to the nation's best collegiate wide receiver, in USC history. In his final year with the Trojans, Lemon caught 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns. If Devonta Smith elevates to a WR1 role, Lemon could very well be the Eagles' second option in the passing game.
Biggest Roster Loss
In November of 2025, the Eagles traded a 2026 third-round pick to the Miami Dolphins for EDGE Jaelan Phillips, as Philadelphia needed help rushing the passer as they headed into the back half of the season well positioned for a playoff push. In eight games with the Eagles, Phillips tallied two sacks, 4 pass breakups, forced and recovered a fumble, and was eighth in the NFL in QB pressures with 34 from Week 10 on.
Phillips became an unrestricted free agent following the 2025 season, and was quickly signed to a four-year, $120 million contract with the Carolina Panthers.
With Phillips gone, the Eagles made a trade with the Vikings for veteran EDGE Jonathan Greenard, sending two third-round picks to Minnesota and also signing Greenard to a four-year, $100 million extension. Greenard, 29, is coming off shoulder surgery that limited him to 12 games last season. He will help the Eagles on the defensive line, but Phillips too will be missed up front.
When Do They Play?
After opening the 2025 season on the road against Philadelphia, the Cowboys will meet the Eagles for the first time in Week 7 of the 2026 season.
Dallas will go to Lincoln Financial Field on Monday, October 26 for their-second straight road primetime matchup with a matchup against the Packers coming a week before.
Five weeks later, the Eagles will head to Arlington and face the Cowboys at home on Thanksgiving. It's the first time the Eagles and Cowboys have played each other on Thanksgiving since 2014, and Philadelphia is 2-0 against Dallas on Thanksgiving in their franchise's history.
