{"id":611,"section":"sports","section_label":"Sports","url":"https://www.brokenews.co/sports/611","headline":"Cowboys defense somehow worse in 2026 despite offseason spending spree","dek":"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.","body":"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.\n\nFive 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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nDespite 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.","published_at":"2026-10-14T23:18:50.247625+00:00","source_count":3,"written_from":[{"outlet":"Fox Sports","publisher":"Fox Sports","title":"Upon Further Review: Could Cowboys' Defense Be Worse? Opponents Sense Vulnerability","url":"https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/upon-further-review-could-cowboys-defense-worse-opponents-sense-vulnerability"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Ian Rapoport still thinks the Dallas Cowboys can be ‘really good’","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ian-rapoport-still-thinks-dallas-200125367.html"},{"outlet":"SB Nation","publisher":"SB Nation","title":"Dallas Cowboys will be fine, according to Field Yates","url":"https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/1132120/field-yates-cowboys-fine"}],"more_coverage":[{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Cowboys news: Team adds defensive help to coaching staff","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/cowboys-news-team-adds-defensive-110000155.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"2026 NFL Week 6 Power Rankings: Cowboys fall after Buccaneers loss","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/2026-nfl-week-6-power-180000884.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Cowboys at Packers: 2 players Dallas should use more in Week 6","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/cowboys-packers-2-players-dallas-150000211.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Cowboys run game won last time at Lambeau, now is time to find it again","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/cowboys-run-game-won-last-223000412.html"}],"image":null,"embed":null,"license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","attribution":"Analysis data is licensed CC BY 4.0. Credit brokenews and link to the story page you took it from. Source headlines, story titles taken from a source headline, and quoted passages remain the property of their publishers and are quoted for comparison, not licensed onward.","terms":"https://www.brokenews.co/about#reuse"}