OXNARD, Calif.
The Dallas Cowboys took their annual flight from DFW Airport to LAX Airport on Monday afternoon before making the 90-minute drive up the Pacific Coast Highway into Oxnard for the start of the team’s month-long training camp.
In the team’s 36th year in Oxnard for training camp, the Cowboys arrived with high expectations of what lies ahead in the 2026 season. Quarterback Dak Prescott wore a shirt commemorating the team’s last Super Bowl win in 1996, and multiple players talked about the actual confidence they have in making it all the way to the season’s final game.
“I think it’s extremely realistic,” offensive lineman Tyler Smith said. “If we put in the work, do what we’re supposed to do and attack every day like we’re supposed to attack it, you can be a champion.”
The offseason has been mostly quiet for the Cowboys in terms of off-the-field drama. Instead, the front office and coaching staff immediately went to work on trying to correct the issues that led to the defense finishing as the No. 30 group in the NFL in yards allowed in a 7-9-1 campaign last season.
After firing defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, the team hired 34-year-old Christian Parker from the Philadelphia Eagles, as he will take the field as a first-time play-caller in 2026 for a defensive unit with a lot of new faces including edge rusher Rashan Gary, safety Jalen Thompson, linebacker Dee Winters and the first-round rookie duo of Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence.
“I think we made a lot of acquisitions in the offseason, specifically on defense, that’s going to pay dividends,” Smith said. “We got a lot of young guys going through OTAs that have a lot of juice. We made some great additions in terms of our EDGE group, in terms of our interior d-line, and a lot of other positions too. I think that’s going to show up.”
“We always had, on paper, a talented defense,” safety Malik Hooker said. “But it’s not about being talented. It’s about putting it all together and being disciplined. We’re looking forward to putting it all together and building off that. We have talented guys, a lot of young guys that are very special.”
Young talent is leaned on in the NFL arguably more than any other sport, but it will take an immediate buy-in while the team is in Southern California to reach the full potential.
“The biggest thing I impart upon them is adhere to the process,” Smith said. “In football, everything is process-oriented. You go through the offseason, you’re training. You go through the season, you’re training. You’re just trying to build upon everything you’ve done all year.”
The team will take a day to settle in on Tuesday before hitting the practice field for the first of 13 sessions on Wednesday. As the defense adjusts to its new look at the offense looks to remain consistent after a stellar 2025 season, the goal will be to carry over what the team accomplished as a unit in the offseason program.
“Every year, everyone wants to come in and win in the beginning,” Hooker said. “But it’s about what you do throughout the year. It’s like a breath of fresh air to be able to connect with [Parker] and the new defensive coaches. Talking to them, they’re smart and detail-oriented. With the details and the stuff that we put together in OTAs and keep building on that, it’s going to be a special year for us.”
Game schedule dates, times, locations July 20 Chicago White Sox 10, Rangers 3 July 21 Rangers 10, Chicago White Sox 0 July 22 Chicago White Sox 4, Rangers 2 July 24 Rangers 5, Seattle 4 July 25 Rangers 7, Seattle 1 July 26 Seattle 6, Rangers 4 July 27 Rangers 7, Seattle 3 July 28 at Tampa Bay, 5:40 p.m., RSN July 29 at Tampa Bay, 5:40 p.m., RSN July 30 at Tampa Bay, 11:10 a.m., RSN July 31 at Houston, 7:15 p.m., Apple TV Aug. 1 at Houston, 6:10 p.m., RSN Aug. 2 at Houston, 1:10 p.m., RSN July 10 Wings 108, Toronto 95 July 12 Wings 96, Chicago 91 July 19 Wings 90, Los Angeles 82 July 20 New York 99, Wings 98 (OT) July 22 Wings 101, Portland 97 All-Star break July 29 vs. Atlanta, 7 p.m., KFAA, USA July 31 at Washington, 6:30 p.m., Ion Aug. 2 vs. Connecticut, 6 p.m., ESPN, Disney+ Aug. 5 at Washington, 6:30 p.m., KFAA Aug. 7 vs. Golden State, 8:30 p.m., Ion 2026 season Aug. 29 vs. North Carolina (at Dublin), 11 a.m., ESPN Sept. 12 vs. Grambling State, 7 p.m., ESPN+ Sept. 19 vs. Arkansas State, 7 p.m., ESPNU Sept. 26 at Central Florida, TBA Oct. 3 vs. BYU, TBA Oct. 17 at Baylor, TBA Oct. 24 vs. West Virginia, TBA Oct. 31 vs. Kansas, TBA Nov. 6 at Arizona, 9:15 p.m., ESPN Nov. 14 vs. Kansas State, TBA Nov. 21 vs. Utah, TBA Nov. 26 at Texas Tech, 7 p.m., ESPN Sept. 13 at N.Y. Giants, 7:20 p.m., NBC Sept. 20 vs. Washington, 3:25 p.m., Fox Sept. 27 vs. Baltimore (at Rio de Janeiro), 3:25 p.m., CBS Oct. 4 at Houston, 12 p.m., Fox Oct. 8 vs. Tampa Bay, 7:15 p.m., Amazon Prime Video Oct. 18 at Green Bay, 7:20 p.m., NBC Oct. 26 at Philadelphia, 7:15 p.m., ESPN, ABC Nov. 1 vs. Arizona, 12 p.m., Fox Nov. 8 at Indianapolis, 12 p.m., Fox Nov. 15 vs. San Francisco, 3:25 p.m., Fox Nov. 22 vs. Tennessee, 12 p.m., Fox Nov. 26 vs. Philadelphia, 3:30 p.m., Fox Dec. 7 at Seattle, 7:15 p.m., ESPN, ABC Dec. 20 at L.A. Rams, 3:25 p.m., CBS Dec. 27 vs. Jacksonville, 7:20 p.m., NBC Jan. 3 vs. N.Y. Giants, 12 p.m., Fox Jan. 9 or 10 at Washington, TBA May 13 Vancouver 3, FC Dallas 2 May 16 FC Dallas 3, San Jose 2 May 23 FC Dallas 2, Colorado 1 World Cup break July 22 FC Dallas 2, Portland 2 July 25 San Diego 1, FC Dallas 0 Aug. 1 at LA Galaxy, 9:30 p.m., Apple TV Aug. 5 vs. Queretaro (at Mansfield Stadium), 7:30 p.m., Apple TV Aug. 8 vs. Chivas de Guadalajara (at San Jose, Calif.), 8 p.m., Fox, Apple TV Aug. 12 at Toluca (Mexico), 9 p.m., Apple TV Aug. 16 at Austin, 7:30 p.m., Apple TV Aug. 1 NASCAR Racing Experience Aug. 29 Team Texas: David Starr’s Racing School Sept. 5 NASCAR Racing Experience
This story was originally published July 27, 2026 at 7:05 PM.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Nick Harris is the Dallas Cowboys beat reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has experience working on the beat for DallasCowboys.com and previous work experience at Yahoo Sports/Rivals and 247Sports.