The Dallas Cowboys had an expectedly mediocre 2025 campaign. After parting ways with Micah Parsons, the defense was left in shambles, and despite a spectacular offensive season, the team ended up far from a postseason berth.
Now, after rebuilding that side of the football, the expectations are once again sky-high for the team. However, the onus has fallen on Dak Prescott, and he has a take-no-prisoners approach outlined for the upcoming year.
Dak Prescott Sends Clear Message to Teammates, Coaches
Last season, even as the defense struggled, the offense was something to behold for the Cowboys. Despite CeeDee Lamb missing three games, they finished as the number seven unit on PFN’s Offense Impact Metric.
Prescott, on his own, had a spectacular year, tallying 4,552 passing yards and 30 touchdowns, good for the number six spot on PFN’s QB Impact Metric. However, it was nowhere near enough as the veteran did not receive much help from the defense.
The pressure of expectations, though, has been building for quite some time. More than three decades since they last won the Vince Lombardi Trophy, Dallas hasn’t been able to live up to the America’s Team moniker.
Add in the bombastic comments from team owner and general manager Jerry Jones, and that hope continues to burn brighter. Prescott, who joined the team in 2016 as a fourth-round pick, is all too familiar with the territory of being the starting QB for the Cowboys.
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As a result, with one of the best rosters he’s had in nearly a decade with the organization, he is making the expectation crystal clear. When asked about the lack of a Super Bowl on his resume, the messaging left no room for debate.
“Shoot, yeah, that’s what’s left for me,” Prescott said. “And it’s always been my mindset. That’s the one thing I truly love about the Cowboys organization and the fan base is that it’s that or nothing.”
Continuing, he then had a direct message for the other players in the locker room. “That’s what being a competitor is. If that’s not how you’re wired, if that’s not how you think, whether you’re a fan, whether you’re a player, whether you’re a coach, then I think you’re in the wrong business, and honestly, I don’t want you on my team.”
While Prescott’s mindset is crystal clear, this time the blueprint matches that mentality, at least to some extent. Given Jones’ frequent comments, the chase for a Super Bowl has become a common theme for virtually every Cowboys season.
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However, more often than not over the past three decades, that has been a pipe dream given the state of the roster. Heading into 2026, though, it looks like the four-time Pro Bowler has legitimate expectations from the current group.
It remains to be seen how those expectations shake out and what the final result ends up being. But a motivated quarterback under center could be the perfect leader to take Dallas back to the promised land.
