Though we\u2019ve mostly focused on the Dallas Cowboys\u2019 efforts to rebuild their defense, special teams will be a very intriguing unit to monitor throughout the offseason program. <\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t![\"Oct](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/USATSI_27426141-scaled.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOct 26, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Dallas Cowboys safety Alijah Clark (38) and cornerback Trikweze Bridges (25) react in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRon Chenoy-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Though the Dallas Cowboys offseason has been all about rebuilding a struggling defense<\/a> (with some other franchise tag drama here and there), it\u2019s not the only problem the team seeks to solve this offseason. <\/p>\n In fact, the front office admitted special teams needed to improve in 2026. And while special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen is returning after an underwhelming debut in Dallas, you can expect many changes on that front. <\/p>\n And that naturally could lead to some 53-man roster surprises when cutdown day comes around. <\/p>\n Cowboys special teams will provide surprise roster spots<\/p>\n If the coaching staff isn\u2019t changing for a unit in need of improvement, it\u2019s only fair to assume personnel will. Or at least, that special teams will heavily influence the final roster spots. <\/p>\n A quick glance at the Cowboys\u2019 special teams snap count leaders () all but confirms changes are coming: <\/p>\n CB C.J. Goodwin, 80%<\/p>\n LB Marist Liufau, 75%<\/p>\n S Markquese Bell, 63%<\/p>\n TE Brevyn Spann-Ford, 50%<\/p>\n TE Luke Schoonmaker 50%<\/p>\n Of the above, Goodwin is no longer on the roster. Liufau is facing an uphill roster battle after defensive coordinator Christian Parker announced he would be tested at a new position (edge rusher\/outside linebacker). And Markquese Bell has to earn a spot in a position shared by Caleb Downs, Jalen Thompson, P.J. Locke, and Malik Hooker. <\/p>\n In other words, the top three snap count leaders on special teams are in serious danger of not making the team. If they do, special teams is their best shot. <\/p>\n But even then, last year\u2019s results show it will be a very open battle. One that could highlight the athleticism of players like safety Alijah Clark, linebackers Justin Barron and Shemar James, and undrafted wide receivers like Anthony Smith (whose speed could translate to Sundays despite limited special teams experience in college). <\/p>\n I wouldn\u2019t expect the Cowboys to define this in OTAs but rather in training camp when the pads come on. But it\u2019s something to watch for. And I\u2019m certainly excited to hear Nick Sorensen talk about what should be a new-look unit. <\/p>\n \t\t\t Dallas Cowboys News<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t The Dallas Cowboys wide receiver isn\u2019t getting a long-term deal this year. At least not from his current team. But he could raise his asking price for next year with a simple decision next week. <\/p>\n Cowboys OTAs<\/a> Dallas Cowboys<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Though we\u2019ve mostly focused on the Dallas Cowboys\u2019 efforts to rebuild their defense, special teams will be a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":314350,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[110201,102,113,104,103],"class_list":["post-314349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-cowboys-otas","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=314349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314349\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/314350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=314349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=314349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=314349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Nov](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/USATSI_27666819-200x200.jpg\")
\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tGeorge Pickens could soon shock the Dallas Cowboys and NFL world with one simple decision in pursuit of a record payday\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n