FRISCO, Texas – The 2026 offseason is here, as the Cowboys closed the first year of the Brian Schottenheimer era with a 7-9-1 record.
Before we begin looking ahead for what's next, let's first take a look back at each month of the 2025 season for Dallas and how the Cowboys fared. We'll start, at the start, back in September:
October:
- Oct. 5 – Cowboys 37, Jets 22
- Oct. 12 – Cowboys 27, Panthers 30
- Oct. 19 – Commanders 22, Cowboys 44
- Oct. 26 – Cowboys 24, Broncos 44
Biggest takeaway: For a brief moment in time, it felt as if the Cowboys' defense found its way and that Matt Eberflus could actually scheme up pressure, as was promised following the September trade of Micah Parsons. Justin Fields was running for his life, to no avail, and the Jets' looked completely out of sorts as a James Houston-led pass rush sacked him a total of five times, and the Cowboys' offense turned the screws against Aaron Glenn's bunch, and they did it without the help of an injured CeeDee Lamb. The domination of the Commanders on both sides of the ball also offered a glimmer of hope for the season.
Something to remember: Without Lamb to begin the month of October, the onus was on other receivers to step up, and though George Pickens contributed (especially against the Panthers), the matchup against the Jets will forever be known as the Ryan Flournoy Breakout Game. The second-year receiver amassed a career-best 114 receiving yards on only six catches and looked like a man possessed with every rep. He'd go on to parlay that game into a permanent WR3 position in Dallas, and with a ton of potential that is yet to be tapped into.
Something to forget: Lots, actually. For starters, allowing Rico Dowdle to have a massive day following the trade for Kenny Clark didn't seem to add up, and served as yet another early reminder that the defense was on a horrible track for 2026. And then came the beatdown at Mile High, a game that began wonderfully with an interception from Trikweze Bridges only to end with a blowout that didn't remotely feel as close as the 44-24 score would indicate. And so it went that, in October, the Cowboys beat the other bad teams and got beat by the ones who would eventually make the playoffs.
Employee of the month:
Patrik Walker: Though he wasn't necessarily utilized in the final two games of the month due to the return of Lamb from injury, there was simply no unseeing what Ryan Flournoy could be for the Cowboys when targeted. His route-running, physicality, ability (and willingness) to block in the run game and to shed would-be tacklers with the ball in his hands was enough to push Jalen Tolbert to the inactives list and answer, once and for all, the question of who is the Cowboys' definitive WR3 going forward, assuming Pickens re-signs with the club in 2026. Flournoy proved he's the real deal, and not simply in October, but that's where it all truly began.
Tommy Yarrish: Flournoy is certainly a great choice, but I'll give my nod here to George Pickens. All the talk when the Cowboys traded for him was how he'd be a nice compliment to CeeDee Lamb, which was true. In October, he showed that Dallas' offense could still operate at a very high level even without Lamb on the field, which maybe some didn't expect. You saw more of Pickens running all kinds of routes, continuing to push defenders on downfield throws and make all kinds of "wow" plays. It proved that the duo of Pickens and Lamb was truly one of two WR1s, the best case that the Cowboys could've hoped for.
Nick Eatman: When you go 7-9-1 for a season, usually most of the months are going to have some ups and downs. And with that, most of the players will have highs and lows during a month. Take October with Jake Ferguson. Do we focus on the fact he didn't have a single catch in the Broncos game to end the month? Or what about the fact he scored five touchdowns in a three-game stretch that included 17 receptions? For me, I'll talk about that part. Ferguson scored twice against the Jets, once against Carolina in a loss and then two more against the Commanders. It doesn't matter what happened - or didn't happen - in the last game of the month. That three-game stretch is good enough for me and one of the reasons Ferguson had some a big season stat-wise.
