Cowboys Draft Defense, Aiming for 2026 Contention

0:00It's April 26, I'm Cory with the story, and this is NFL News Today Football News powered by AI. The Cowboys wrapped the 2026 draft by stacking their defense with speed and smarts, starting with a trade-up to grab safety, Caleb Downs, at number 11 overall. They followed that by trading down to Snagedge Russia Malachi Lawrence at number 23, then added linebacker, J. Sean Barham in the third, round, defensive end LT Overton in the fourth, and a few more pieces like a super-sized corner. They even traded a fifth round pick for linebacker D. Winters from the 49ers. This came after shipping out Micah Parsons last year, leaving their defense gassed out in 2025 as the league's worst end points allowed. New coordinator Christian Parker now has a full toolbox, pairing rookies with vets like Roshan Gary and Jalen Thompson to rebuild that unit while the other. Often stays elite with ads like George Pickens. Experts are hyped, handing out mostly

1:00A's across the board. Tim Kalashaw and Joseph Hoyt from the Dallas Morning News gave straight A's Mill Kiper at ESPN matched that in spots like Si.com and The Ringer. Piled on with Top Marks 2, a few like NFL.com hit B+. But the vibe is this class anchors the secondary and pass rush for years. Deeper looks showdowns as a potential game-changer, like Derwin James, Lawrence bringing Sacks and Burst and Barnes versatility to hit from multiple spots. They skipped chasing a top-middle linebacker, but built depth instead, turning question marks into promise without burning early picks on offense. Expect his defense to flip the script in 2026, complementing the high-powered attack and putting Dallas back in contention.