You’ve already analyzed the Cowboys‘ 2026 schedule from every possible angle. You’ve formed hard and fast opinions about the logistics surrounding the Rio trip, the late placement of the bye week, the number of primetime appearances, the weather forecast for those road trips, and the gauntlet of tough opponents that will make up the team’s run toward a postseason berth.
But remember, the 2026 Cowboys will take the field for three games prior to all of that. The preseason doesn’t warrant the same kind of hype and likely won’t even feature many of the superstar players who will carry the squad when the regular-season lights come on, but the preseason’s exhibition contests will nevertheless give fans their first hints at whether all the offseason changes were enough.
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And this year, two of the Cowboys’ preseason battles will serve as previews for opponents they’ll face later in the season.
Dallas will open their summer slate with West Coast visits to Seattle and Arizona, side trips that will likely coincide with training camp in Oxnard, Calif. The home opener will be in the third week of the preseason as Kellen Moore and the New Orleans Saints come marching into AT&T Stadium.
