Cowboys news: Dallas gets major award hype with 2 predictions from NFL insiders

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The Dallas Cowboys are gearing up for an important 2026 season. Dallas finally fixed their defense this offseason, which has fans excited about the team’s potential. It appears that figures from around the NFL share that excitement.

ESPN polled executives and scouts from around the NFL to predict who will win the league’s most important awards during the 2026 season. Cowboys fans will be thrilled to learn that their team came away with two major awards in the exercise.

The first selection should not be a big surprise. Cowboys safety Caleb Downs was the pick to win Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2026. Dallas’ first-round pick should play a big role in their new-look defense. The Cowboys plan to play Downs primarily in the slot, putting him close to the line of scrimmage where he can make the biggest impact.

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“He will play in the middle of the defense, so he will probably have some ball production and high tackle numbers,” an AFC executive said, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “And if he helps turn around Dallas’ defense, he’ll be looked at as a catalyst.”

But the next Cowboys figure suggests that NFL scouts and executives are quite high on Dallas before the 2026 season.

ESPN tabbed Brian Schottenheimer to win the NFL’s Coach of the Year award. Schottenheimer did not run away with the voting. But he did come out on top ahead of other great coaches including Dan Campbell, Jim Harbaugh, Sean McVay, Kellen Moore, and Jesse Minter.

“I think Dak [Prescott] will have a big year; we know they can score; and the defense should be much improved,” an NFC scout said. “If they stay healthy, they have a good chance to win the NFC East.”

Dallas only went 7-9-1 during Schottenheimer’s first season as head coach. So for Schottenheimer to get this pick, the Cowboys would have to pull off a truly incredible turnaround in 2026.

It will be exciting to see if Dallas can live up to these high expectations this fall.

Cowboys at Giants kicks off at 8:20PM ET on September 13th from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

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