The mid 1990's was the golden era for the Dallas Cowboys. Three Super Bowls in four years. But after that, the Cowboys lost their spark. Going through a tumultuous time, the former Dallas quarterback, Troy Aikman, broke his silence over the Cowboys’ 30-year title drought.

The Cowboys made it to the Super Bowl in 1992, 1993, and 1995. But since then, they haven’t reached a conference title game in 30 years, now the fourth-longest drought in the NFL.

"Four playoff wins in the last 30 years is simply not good enough for a flagship franchise like the Cowboys," said Aikman, on the April 9th episode of the FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth podcast, "that had grown accustomed to competing for world championships, not division titles."

Aikman, who played in Dallas from 1989 to 2000, however, accepted that he is not sure of the exact reason behind them not making it to the big stage.

"You can't go 30 years without even making it to the NFC Championship game and say that the way we're doing it is working because clearly it's not," he put Dallas on high alert.

Since 1996, the Cowboys have gone through eight head coaches. They ticked off some of their biggest stars with long contract sagas and still lost 13 of their last 18 playoff games.

Even though Aikman did not have the answer to Dallas' struggles, ESPN's Mike Greenberg and Paul Hembekides came up with a reason.

According to them, the issue runs deeper than Dak Prescott and Tony Romo “not delivering” in the playoffs. After reviewing recent roster trends, Greenberg concluded that the NFL giant consistently struggles because they limit themselves by delaying major contract extensions.

Over the last two years, Greenberg says Dallas waited too long to extend CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott, ultimately inflating their price tags.

Troy Aikman Backs Defensive Focus for Dallas Cowboys’ First-Round Pick

The Cowboys have the No.12 and No.20 picks in the first round of the 2026 Draft. With multiple names doing rounds to be the potential pick, Aikman shared his take.

"I think everyone following the Cowboys would say, defense is the priority, and we'd all be shocked if they didn't go in that direction," the former Dallas quarterback said.

However, he tempered that with a reminder that the best drafts are not always positionally driven. He pointed to the Cowboys' selection of CeeDee Lamb several years ago when they were not actively seeking a wide receiver.

"They can either get two really good players that can make a difference for them, or they can package it into acquiring more players," Aikman added. "I am a believer that you take the best player available."

With Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs available, drafting him will be a dream scenario for the Cowboys. If Downs lines up with Jalen Thompson and Malik Hooker, the Dallas Cowboys might finally cut down on the big plays that hurt them last season, 54 of 25-plus yards, the most in the league.

For the No. 20 pick, Miami Hurricanes EDGE Akheem Mesidor has picked up the buzz.

Will the 2026 draft picks help Dallas get back on track? Drop in your thoughts.

Read more at Dallas Cowboys Community.

Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar