The Dallas Cowboys are still about two weeks away from opening training camp in Oxnard, but anticipation is building. It’s expected that the Dallas offense will be elite, with all of the starting group returning in 2026. The hopes for the defense under new coordinator Christian Parker are sky-high, and if he can turn that outfit from one of the worst in the NFL to around league average, the Cowboys should be set up to make the playoffs and have a run there. That will require a lot of ifs-and-buts on a roster that is still thin, but maybe the lynchpin of the thing will be the biggest addition this offseason: Rashan Gary.
Remember, the Cowboys were in the mix to land Maxx Crosby before Baltimore offered two first-round picks for him, and if that deal had worked out, Dallas might have passed him on his physical and kept him aboard. It was only after that didn’t work out that the front office turned to Plan B.
Gary was Plan B.
Rashan Gary Under Pressure in 1st Cowboys Season
Now, as we careen toward camp, Gary is expected to be the team’s top pass-rusher, which means he is essentially taking what would have been Crosby’s place, who would have been filling the hole left by Micah Parsons. That’s pressure.
In fact, in listing the Cowboys new guys who are under the most pressure, the analysis site Blogging the Boys picked four players, but Gary is the name that stands out. (The others are Cobie Durant, who is a third cornerback; Caleb Downs, who is a rookie; and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who is a fringe roster player.)
Gary is the only player on the list who has been an NFL star already, the player who cost the Cowboys a fourth-round pick and is on a two-year, $32 million contract.
Cowboys Will Ask a Lot
Here’s how the site’s Jorge Guarjado sees Rashan Gary’s pressure-packed Cowboys training camp:
“Rashan Gary is heading into his eighth year as a pro, and this could be the year he is asked to do the most. Along the defensive line, no other newcomer comes close to what Dallas will expect from Gary. …
“Along the defensive line, only Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark may be asked to do more. Still, the fact that the defense has shifted and that he is a veteran with high standards, along with the fact that Dallas’ edge setting was so poor last year, means Gary will have the most to prove on the defensive front among the new Cowboys.”
Rashan Gary: Zero Sacks in Final 9 Games
Indeed, the pass rush is a question mark–one of many–for this Cowboys defense. As things stand, Gary figures to start with Donovan Ezeiruaku, and rookie Malachi Lawrence will have a significant role, too. The Cowboys have some depth behind those three, but they do not have anyone on the roster who has proven to be capable of getting to the quarterback.
Gary might be the best bet. He has had as many as 9.5 sacks in a season, though he has never had that true breakout sack year. He had 7.5 sacks last year in Green Bay, but those numbers tanked once Parsons got inured–Gary did not have a sack in the final nine games of the season, as he faced more double-teams.
He is the top pass-rusher. Gary will get double-teams in Dallas this season. Can he handle that pressure?
New Cowboys Star Already Facing ‘Pressure’ Before Training Camp