There are a laundry list of issues on the Dallas Cowboys' defense in 2026, so it's impossible to point to just one thing and say that's the cause of their struggles.
The two biggest issues are players simply underperforming, and the coaching, as defensive coordinator Christian Parker simply doesn't have any answers for everything that plagues the unit.
But Cowboys legend DeMarcus Ware thinks the issues on defense are deeper than just those two things.
He also believes Cowboys defenders don't have the right attitude, especially in the trenches, and he questions the team's effort, ego, heart and pride.
"“When I played and there were problems, the first thing we did was how do we control the trenches?" Ware said on 96.7 The Ticket. "That comes down to mentality. That’s something that’s free. It’s the effort and attitude of the team. That’s something that can be changed, that’s not a quantitative thing. It’s a heart thing, a pride thing, an ego thing these guys have to sort of turn up. Yes, a lot of people are saying their season is over, but in the locker room there has to be a mentality shift to say we still got it.”
Ware also admitted that if the Cowboys lose to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, the season is likely over.
“If the Dallas Cowboys can win this game, it’s going to be that momentum builder. If they lose this game, and you go to 2-5, to be honest with you, the season is probably over … the season can be over if you lose this football game. Because you’re going to lose your morale and your confidence is gone," Ware said. “It’s a must-win football game.”
We completely agree with Ware. Even in a terrible NFC East, it feels like Dallas' season is already on life support, so a loss could be the death blow.
Ware isn't the only one questioning effort
Ware is the second former Cowboys player to question the team's effort.
Former Dallas quarterback Ben DiNucci did the same, except he focused on the offensive side of the ball.
"You can’t turn on the Cowboys tape from last night and tell me guys on that offense are giving 100%," DiNucci said. "Lazy, no attention to details, no creativity with play calls."
Major culture problem
Yes, a lack of effort is certainly on the players, but an issue like that starts with the culture of the team, and the first person to blame for a lackluster culture is the head coach.
So, this is on the shoulders of Brian Schottenheimer mostly, but also on Parker, who clearly isn't doing a good enough job motivating his players on defense.
That could be a result of several things, but the biggest issue may be that Cowboys players simply don't have any faith in the staff, and we wouldn't blame them one bit if that's the case.
Schottenheimer and Parker have been terrible with play-calling and there is no sign they're capable of improving.
And until they do that, there is no hope for the Cowboys to turn things around.
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