Dallas fell to 2-3 after a 24-16 loss to Tampa Bay, with the defense giving up 18 more yards per game than last year's league-worst unit.
The Dallas Cowboys spent the offseason trying to fix the NFL's worst defense from 2025, a unit that gave up 30 points a game. New defensive coordinator Christian Parker was supposed to be the answer, backed by trades for edge rusher Rashan Gary and linebacker Dee Winters, free agent signings of safety Jalen Thompson and edge rusher Von Miller, and draft picks safety Caleb Downs and edge rusher Malachi Lawrence.
Five games in, none of it has helped. Dallas is giving up 18 yards per game more than it did a year ago and leads the league in rushing yards allowed at 168 per game.
The low point came on Thursday Night Football, a 24-16 loss to a Tampa Bay team playing without quarterback Baker Mayfield. The Cowboys could not stop running back Bucky Irving, who ran 21 times for 165 yards and a touchdown. That loss dropped Dallas to 2-3 on the season.
Despite the defensive collapse, some national voices are not ready to write the Cowboys off. NFL insider Ian Rapoport said he still believes the team can be "really good," while ESPN's Field Yates has also expressed optimism about where the Cowboys are headed this season.