The following is an excerpt from Warren Sharp's 2026 Football Preview. In addition to Warren's deep, detailed write-up on all 32 NFL teams, each chapter features page after page of full-color charts, stats, and heatmaps, as well as penalty analysis from Joe Gibbs. Click here for a full FREE chapter from the 2026 Football Preview.

Penalties are an under-discussed aspect of NFL success and failure. Average teams can become playoff contenders with good discipline, and good teams can become great simply by winning the penalty battle.

Let's look at how the Dallas Cowboys performed from a penalty perspective in 2025 and where they can improve in 2026.

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Dallas Cowboys 2026 Penalty Outlook: Discipline, Flags & Hidden Edges

The Good

  • The Dallas offense accounted for 41% of the team’s overall penalties, below the league average of 47.7%.
  • The Cowboys were the No. 1 beneficiary of roughing the passer penalties.
  • The Cowboys were the No. 1 beneficiary of defensive pass interference penalties. The CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens wide receiver combination was the most efficient duo in 2025 at drawing beneficial penalties in this category.
  • Dallas recorded the third-highest automatic first down via penalty net advantage versus their opponents in 2025.
  • The defense generated the most penalties per game on opposing offenses last season. Was it their defensive prowess creating penalty issues on opponents, or was it the game devolving into a typical Cowboys penalty-fest where both sides fall into the trap of overall sloppy play? Either way, Dallas surprisingly ranked No. 1 in this category.

The Bad

  • The Cowboys ended the 2025 season ranked as the No. 1 penalized team in the NFL.
  • The Cowboys ranked No. 1 for offensive holding penalties per game.
  • Dallas ranked as a top-10 penalized team for pre-snap infractions.
  • Dallas averaged the second-most special teams penalties per game.
  • The Cowboys averaged the most third-down penalties per game.
  • The Cowboys have the notoriety of ranking No. 1 in two discipline-related categories, averaging the most unsportsmanlike conduct and unnecessary roughness penalties per game last season, a major contributor to their overall elevated per-game average.

Grade: B-

Preseason hype is standard operating procedure for the Dallas Cowboys, and this year is no different, with the team's offseason moves increasing expectations.

At full strength, Dak Prescott leads an offense ranked among the best in the NFL.

The defense looks to be significantly improved on paper, with the front office overhauling the unit in the aftermath of the Micah Parsons trade.

Bottom line: The Cowboys have the talent to be a contender, but must overcome a long history of failing to deliver when it matters most.

Irrespective of their record, one way or another, the Dallas Cowboys will dominate headlines throughout the course of the season.

Their fanbase is hoping it is for all the right reasons in 2026.

This analysis continues in the 2026 Football Preview

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