Emmitt Smith Shares His Opinion on Dallas Cowboys' Offseason Moves

The Dallas Cowboys haven't won a Super Bowl in 30 years, but one of the most recognizable faces in their historic franchise history has hope they can return to glory sooner than later.

The NFL's all-time leading rusher, Emmitt Smith won three Lombardi Trophies as a member of the Cowboys, but the team has struggled to live up to the expectations that have come from their previous eras of championship success, winning just five playoff games in the three decades since their last title.

In an exclusive interview with Athlon Sports, Smith shared his opinion on some of the offseason decisions made by owner Jerry Jones and the rest of the Cowboys' brass.

"Well, I think that we stabilized some stuff," Smith said. "I don't know if we got it right completely, but we stabilized. I think anything that we stabilize on the defensive side, considering the way our defense played last year, gives us at least an opportunity to have two to three or maybe four more wins. Those are three to four more wins that gets us in the playoffs, and anything is possible."

The Cowboys second in the NFC East standings last year, but their 7-9-1 record wasn't enough to earn a wild-card spot in the playoffs. Smith says the defensive improvements made this offseason should allow Dallas to play more complementary football in 2026.

"Great health throughout the course of the season, better execution defensively, executing at a high level offensively and on a consistent basis, we know we have one of the best kickers in the entire National Football League," Smith said of what the Cowboys need for success this year. "Just those dynamics alone says on paper that we should be a better team, and if they translate from paper onto the football field and translate from losses to wins. I think you'll see significant improvement in the Dallas Cowboys this year, and have you wanting to see us again next year."

The team's biggest move on offense this offseason was keeping wide receiver George Pickens via the franchise tag, locking in one of the league's better No. 2 receivers after his breakout campaign in 2025. Smith acknowledges that the one-year franchise tender isn't the best scenario for the player, but it's an advantage for the Cowboys as they look to get back into the postseason this year.

"I think for George, it may not be the most pleasant thing to get tagged the way he did," Smith said. "However, for the Cowboys overall, I think it's a great thing. Because now you have George Pickens that's coming back for an entire season. You have CeeDee Lamb. Your offensive wide receiver core is set. You're filling out the third wide receiver with KaVontae Turpin and then you probably draft a few other guys to come in … and backups around that wide receiver core."

Smith has high hopes for a Dallas offense that has plenty of talent, and most of its production, coming back from a season ago.

"I think offensively, we ran the ball effectively," Smith said. "Last year we had a 1,000-yard rusher, which is great if we can get another 1,200 to 1,400 yards out of our backs this year. If not, we should be able to get 1,400 at least out of all the backs combined. That's enough to keep everything moving offensively and defensively."

While they look much improved and more balanced on paper, Smith acknowledges that won't be enough to guarantee success, and this year's version of the Cowboys will have to prove their worth on the field when it counts.

"We just talked about the defensive side of the ball, special-teams wise, we still have one of the best - if not the best - kicker in the game of football today. All those things on paper have us looking the part, but we've looked the part in the past," Smith said. "I think the difference is the newness of the D coordinator, the consistency of the head coach in Brian Schottenheimer and what he's doing. All those things are stabilizers to me. Any kind of success that we have this year should mount on top of that and make us better in the years to come."

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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 9:18 AM.