It’s been more than three decades since the Dallas Cowboys last reached the Super Bowl.
They’ve had some solid rosters during that time, but they’ve never made it past the divisional round.
Owner Jerry Jones has made it clear that just getting to the playoffs is no longer acceptable, but for one of the team’s newer players, getting to the playoffs is a milestone in itself.
Four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams spent the first six-and-a-half seasons with the New York Jets, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2010.
Now that he’s in Dallas, he wants a taste of postseason life for the first time — and fortunately for him, his quarterback Dak Prescott made him a promise that he’ll help him get there in 2026.
“Dak Prescott said that Quinnen Williams reminded the team that he’s been in the league seven years and hasn’t made the playoffs,” Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News posted on X. “Dak: “I told him I’ll get you to the playoffs, but I need you to go help us win it.’”
If the Cowboys are to make a deep playoff run, their defense is going to have to elevate its game.
Dallas ranked 30th last season in total defense (377 yards allowed per game) and last in scoring defense (30.1 points allowed per game).
But the Cowboys revamped several positions on that side of the ball through free agency and the draft including the additions of edge-rushers Rashan Gary, Malachi Lawrence, Jaishawn Barham, and LT Overton, linebacker Dee Winters, cornerbacks Cobie Durant, Derion Kendrick, and Devin Moore, and safeties Caleb Downs, P.J. Locke, and Jalen Thompson.
Dallas finished with a 7-9-1 record and second-place finish in the NFC East last season.