The Dallas Cowboys’ head coach, Brian Schottenheimer’s goal is to bring the Super Bowl back to Arlington. He expressed confidence in the team's ability to compete for the title this season.

As reported by Jon Machota of The Athletic, Schottenheimer shared the Cowboys' plans for this season’s Super Bowl in a press conference. This would mark their first Super Bowl win since January 28, 1996.

“Super Bowl 61, February 14th, 2027. That’s where we plan on being,” the Cowboys head coach said in a press conference.

However, Schottenheimer realizes that there are improvements that need to be made in order to reach their destination.

“That’s a tall task," he further added. "And we have to clean up a number of things that we need to improve on from last year."

Last season, the Cowboys’ defense allowed the most points (511) and second-most yards (6,409) in the league, while recording a historically poor 0.162 Defensive EPA per play.

So, to address those issues, the Cowboys made several major moves this offseason. 

They traded for former Pro Bowl edge rusher Rashan Gary from the Green Bay Packers. Gary’s track record as a proven pass rusher gives the defense a more established presence than Sam Williams provided last season in his depth and special teams role.

The Cowboys also added key young talent in the draft, including Caleb Downs at safety, Malachi Lawrence at edge rusher, and linebacker Jaishawn Barham, among others.

They also brought in Christian Parker as defensive coordinator after his time with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he worked as passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach during their Super Bowl LIX-winning season.

These moves certainly would give a team confidence moving forward. However, there’s another reason that gives the Cowboys hope.

Brian Schottenheimer Points to Seattle and New England Turnarounds as Motivation

The Seattle Seahawks missed the playoffs in the 2024 season, but the following year, they went all the way and won Super Bowl LX against the New England Patriots.

The Patriots, meanwhile, also had a turnaround after back-to-back difficult seasons in 2023 and 2024, going 8-26 over the past two seasons. In 2025, they went 14-3 under the new head coach, Mike Vrabel.

This led Schottenheimer to believe that the Dallas Cowboys could do it as well this season.

“It was proven this year by Seattle and New England that if you didn’t qualify for the playoffs the previous year, it doesn’t mean you can’t get to the big game,” he said.

Even GM Jerry Jones shared the same sentiment after the completion of the NFL Draft.

“We can put it together,” Jones said. “Two teams in the Super Bowl, they didn't make the playoffs the year before. I know it can happen, because I've done it when it didn't work and I've done it when it worked.”

The Cowboys came away with mostly A and B+ draft grades in 2026, as reported by the El Paso Times' Bret Bloomquist. Thanks to a defense-heavy approach that saw five of seven picks spent on that side of the ball, while still covering every major need.

What are your thoughts on the Cowboys’ mindset ahead of the 2026 season? Share your thoughts.

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Written by

Monika Khatai

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar