​The Dallas Cowboys will be one of the last teams to take the field for training camp this offseason, with both veterans and rookies reporting on July 28th. Typically, we see rookies report about a week before the veterans, but Dallas is one of the few teams that have elected to let all of their players report at the same time.2025 was a disappointing season for the Cowboys, who boasted one of the best offenses in the NFL, but missed the playoffs due to having one of the worst defenses in the league. They’ve worked hard to rectify that this offseason, and on paper, they’ve done a good job. Now, it’s time to turn that on-paper success into on-field success.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWith training camp beginning in a little over a week, here’s everything you need to know about the Dallas Cowboys before they report on July 28th.As I hinted at earlier, the Cowboys made a lot of defensive additions this offseason. And it all starts at the top with a new defensive coordinator, Christian Parker, who has spent the last two years assembling one of the best secondaries in the NFL with the Cowboys’ NFC East rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles.The first move the Cowboys made this offseason was trading for Rashan Gary. The former Packer has finished with 7.5 sacks in each of his last three seasons and should give Dallas an immediate boost off the edge. But that’s not the only addition the Cowboys made to the edge rusher position.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWith their second pick in the first round of the NFL Draft, the Cowboys selected Malachi Lawrence, an athletic freak who ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash with a 40-inch vertical out of UCF. The rookie should see significant playing time right away, but I’d also keep my eye on Jaishawn Barham, who is one of the best run-defending edge rushers in this rookie class. Both guys will see the field as a rookie and will make an impact.Credit: Dallas Cowboys/@dallascowboys via XThe Cowboys also traded for former sixth-round pick Dee Winters, who is entering the final year of his contract, from San Francisco. The former 49ers off-ball linebacker racked up 101 tackles last season while picking off one pass and breaking up five more. He should be a day one starter in Parker’s defense.Moving back to the secondary, the Cowboys made quite a few impactful additions. First, they signed Cobie Durant and Jalen Thompson, two of the most underrated players at their position, in free agency. Then, they drafted Caleb Downs, who was my No. 1 player in the draft, with the 11th overall pick.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAll of these additions should help the Cowboys field at least an average defense in 2026.We just talked about all the additions Dallas made this offseason, but let’s talk about how impactful they could actually be this year.First, let’s set the stage. In 2025, the Cowboys gave up 30.1 points per game, which ranked dead last in the league. They also finished dead last in op