Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott believes his team must reach the playoffs in 2026 after missing the postseason each of the last two campaigns.
"It sucks," Prescott said of not being in the playoffs, according to team writer Tommy Yarrish. "Definitely. But we're pushing. That's our goal. That's a minimum.
"When you have a team like this and they've done everything they have in the offseason, obviously we got to push and get better on offense, but when we know we're already improving on defense, that's the minimum. That's everybody's goal in here."
Last season marked the fifth time during Prescott's 10-year run with Dallas that his team failed to make the playoffs. Despite the Cowboys' lack of collective success in 2025, the signal-caller threw for 4,552 passing yards with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Out of 33 qualifying quarterbacks last year, Prescott ranked sixth in EPA/dropback and 10th in passer rating, according to TruMedia. His 404 completions were also the most across the league.
Prescott's play helped Dallas rank second in yards per game and fifth in points per contest. However, the team's defense ultimately doomed its season, as the unit's 53.9% success rate tied for the worst in the NFL.
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones made it a priority to address the defense this offseason, acquiring pass-rusher Rashan Gary from the Green Bay Packers and trading up in the draft to select standout safety Caleb Downs out of Ohio State. The club also hired Christian Parker as its new defensive coordinator. As the Philadelphia Eagles' defensive backs coach, he helped them boast one of the league's best pass defenses over the last two years.
Quinnen Williams, whom the Cowboys acquired from the New York Jets at the trade deadline in November, will also enter his first full season with the team.
"To hear (Williams) say he's never been to the playoffs, that's what you want to do it for," Prescott added. "And that's what I told him. I said, 'I'll get you into the playoffs. I'm going to need you to go help us win it.'"
The Cowboys haven't reached the NFC Championship Game since the 1995 season. They'll begin training camp July 28.
