The Dallas Cowboys finished the 2026 preseason 2-1. They beat the Seahawks 17-7 in Seattle, defeated the Cardinals 34-13 in Arizona and lost their only home exhibition 27-24 to the Saints. The record is the fastest summary, but it is not the most useful one: Dak Prescott and many established players were protected, lineup quality changed throughout each game, and preseason results do not enter the regular-season standings. Dallas used the three games to evaluate two backup quarterbacks, sort a crowded receiver room, test Christian Parker's defensive depth and identify players who could contribute on special teams. The final roster decisions that followed provide a clearer measure of what the games meant.
Dallas Cowboys 2026 preseason schedule and results
| Date | Matchup and site | Final |
|---|---|---|
| August 15 | at Seattle Seahawks, Lumen Field | Cowboys 17, Seahawks 7 |
| August 22 | at Arizona Cardinals, State Farm Stadium | Cowboys 34, Cardinals 13 |
| August 28 | vs. New Orleans Saints, AT&T Stadium | Saints 27, Cowboys 24 |
This compact list answers the schedule-and-score question without reproducing an entire team calendar. The maintained Dallas Cowboys schedule page is the better source for current regular-season dates, and the site's printable NFL schedule tools serve readers looking for a downloadable planning view.
The shape of the slate also matters. Dallas traveled for the first two games and returned to Arlington for the finale. That progression let the staff evaluate communication in two road environments before a last home audition. The Cowboys outscored opponents 75-47 overall, but aggregate point differential blends different quarterbacks, reserve groups and game situations. The chronological review below isolates what each week actually tested.
Week 1 at Seattle: Defense settles after one drive and Camden Brown emerges
Seattle's opening touchdown could have turned the first audition into a long night. Instead, Dallas allowed no points on the Seahawks' final seven possessions and won 17-7. Seattle finished with only 156 total yards, including 76 through the air. Those numbers came against changing personnel groups, so they do not prove that the regular-season defense had arrived. They do show that Christian Parker's reserves adjusted, communicated and kept competing after losing the first series.
Brown gave both quarterbacks a reliable target
Sam Howell handled the first half and completed 8 of 12 passes for 94 yards without a turnover. His best result was a 39-yard touchdown to undrafted receiver Camden Brown. Joe Milton took the second half and found Brown again for a two-yard score, this time on a difficult one-handed catch. Brown's final line was three catches, 62 yards and both Dallas touchdowns.
The important detail was not merely the two scores. Brown delivered with different quarterbacks and in different types of situations: one explosive play in space and one contested finish close to the goal line. That is valuable evidence for a reserve receiver because the bottom of an NFL depth chart must function with changing passers and limited targets. In hindsight, this was the first strong signal that Brown could turn a summer roster bid into something more durable.
Defensive resilience came with a warning label
Dallas made two short-field stands, including a fourth-down stop near its own goal line and another response after a muff placed Seattle almost on the doorstep. First-round rookies Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence played only 23 snaps combined, but Downs described the live communication experience as a useful step in his transition. The staff received a glimpse of the young talent without needing to overload either rookie.
There was also an obvious correction list. The Cowboys committed 13 penalties for 103 yards. Seattle's average drive began at its own 42-yard line, while Dallas generally started at its own 19. Penalties and field position can erase sound defensive work in a regular-season game. That contrast is why the best takeaway was the response, not the margin: Dallas survived difficult circumstances, but it also helped create them. As our guide to whether NFL preseason games count explains, the win did not enter the standings; Brown's adaptability and the defense's situational tape were the pieces that carried into roster discussions.
Week 2 at Arizona: Joe Milton supplies the preseason's biggest burst
The Cowboys' 34-13 win over Arizona contained the most explosive stretch of their preseason. Joe Milton failed to convert the opening possession, then directed four consecutive scoring drives. He completed 69.2 percent of his passes for 179 yards, threw two touchdowns without an interception and posted a 151.4 passer rating. He also finished a drive with a one-yard rushing score.
Milton turned physical tools into points
Milton's arm strength was already obvious. The important development was that the big throws arrived within productive possessions. His 53-yard touchdown to Jonathan Mingo punished Arizona downfield, while a 70-yard completion to Camden Brown created another immediate scoring threat. Brown finished with two catches for 77 yards; Mingo had two for 62 and the touchdown. After Brown's two-score opener, another explosive performance strengthened the case that he could contribute beyond a routine camp role.
This was Milton's strongest answer in the backup-quarterback competition. The combination of scoring efficiency, zero interceptions and a rushing touchdown showed how his athletic ceiling could change an exhibition. Sam Howell's portion was less convincing: he completed 70 percent of his passes for 65 yards, but an interception pulled his passer rating down to 47.9. One preseason performance is a small sample, however. The staff still had to compare command, consistency and the ability to operate the offense across the entire summer?not just select the passer who produced the most dramatic night.
Two young defenders created useful evaluation plays
Rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham recorded five tackles and a tackle for loss despite limited work. Cornerback Shavon Revel supplied the turnover that made the defensive review more interesting. He intercepted Kedon Slovis at the Arizona 34-yard line and returned the ball inside the 10, giving the offense a short field. For Revel, who had worked through a long recovery before reaching this point, the play was both production and proof that he could finish an opportunity in game conditions.
The Arizona result therefore carried three different layers. Milton made the loudest single-game argument at quarterback, Brown and Mingo demonstrated vertical-play value, and young defenders generated evidence beyond routine practice reps. Readers looking for the rest of that weekend's games can use the site's NFL preseason Week 2 results. For Dallas, the caution remained the same: a 21-point win was encouraging, but the staff still needed the finale and the complete practice record before deciding which performances translated into jobs.
Week 3 vs. New Orleans: Sam Howell answers and Marist Liufau is injured
The 27-24 loss to New Orleans reversed the quarterback momentum one last time. Joe Milton entered the finale having completed 75 percent of his passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns across two games, with a 142.9 passer rating. Against the Saints, he completed 8 of 15 for 92 yards, did not throw a touchdown and posted a 72.1 rating. The quieter finish did not erase the Seattle and Arizona tape, but it gave Howell an opening.
Howell's 15-point rally complicated the final call
Howell took advantage. After entering the game with an 85.2 rating across the first two exhibitions, he completed 12 of 18 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns in the finale, good for a 130.6 rating. He helped Dallas erase a 15-point deficit and tie the game. Jordan Hudson caught gains of 52 and 26 yards during the rally, while Howell delivered a 21-yard touchdown to Mitch Van Vooren and ran in the two-point conversion.
That performance mattered because it tested the quarterback in a different context from Milton's front-running night in Arizona. Howell had to manufacture a comeback with the roster deadline close. Hudson also used his final opportunity well: those two explosive catches forced his name back into the conversation even though the established receiver group left little room. Dallas ultimately lost on New Orleans' late score, but the offense had produced actionable film before the result slipped away.
The injury cost outweighed the narrow defeat
Brandon Aubrey made field goals from 49, 51 and 58 yards, with a miss from 57, and Dallas finished with 328 total yards to New Orleans' 326. Those details underline how even the game was. Yet the most consequential development was not on the scoreboard. Marist Liufau fractured his forearm late in the first quarter. The Cowboys said he required surgery and would miss some weeks. Liufau had already moved from inside to outside linebacker during camp, so the injury interrupted both his availability and an important position transition.
This is the clearest example of why a preseason recap cannot be reduced to wins and losses. The Saints' final score had no effect on Dallas' regular-season record, while Howell's response materially informed a roster decision and Liufau's injury changed the near-term linebacker plan. The site's NFL games today page is the right destination for the current slate; this retrospective is about what those final numbers meant after the roster was built.
How the Cowboys settled the QB2 decision after the games
Dallas initially placed Dak Prescott, Sam Howell and Joe Milton on the 53-player roster, so cutdown day did not immediately resolve the competition. The next move did. After claiming running back Emari Demercado, the Cowboys waived Milton to create the roster spot. He cleared waivers and returned on the practice squad, while Howell became Prescott's primary backup.
Why Milton's stronger box score was not the final answer
Milton's complete preseason line was excellent: 29 completions on 43 attempts, 378 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. His Arizona performance displayed the greater explosive ceiling. If the decision were based only on exhibition passer rating or highlight plays, keeping him as QB2 would have been easy to argue.
Brian Schottenheimer's explanation focused on a wider sample. The coach cited Howell's total body of work, consistency and execution of the offense. Howell's NFL experience factored into the choice but was not presented as the sole reason. That distinction matters. Coaches evaluate protection calls, huddle command, practice periods and whether a quarterback gets the offense to the correct answer?information that does not appear in a public box score.
Dallas chose readiness without fully abandoning development
Keeping Howell as the game-day backup suggests the staff trusted his week-to-week operation more than Milton's higher-variance upside. Bringing Milton back on the practice squad preserved a developmental passer who had produced across three exhibitions. The waiver process carried risk because another club could have claimed him, but clearing waivers allowed Dallas to retain both profiles while using the active-roster place elsewhere.
That is the cleanest reading of the decision, not a claim that Howell was definitively the more talented quarterback. Howell earned the immediate role; Milton earned continued investment. The finale mattered because it reinforced Howell's steadiness at the right time, but official comments show the staff evaluated the entire summer. For current dates around Prescott and the active roster, use the maintained Cowboys schedule page.
Which preseason performances shaped the 53-player roster?
Camden Brown produced the cleanest line from exhibition tape to an active-roster job. He was the only undrafted rookie on Dallas' initial 53 and joined CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy, KaVontae Turpin and Jonathan Mingo in a six-receiver group. Official team updates noted that Brown generated a big play in every preseason game. His two touchdowns in Seattle and 70-yard reception in Arizona made his value visible; his work outside those highlights had to confirm that he could fill a weekly role.
A roster win can look different from a practice-squad win
Jordan Hudson's two explosive catches against New Orleans did not displace one of those six receivers. He did, however, return on the practice squad. That was still a positive outcome: the final audition demonstrated a trait Dallas could continue developing without forcing another player off the active roster. Joe Milton followed a similar route after his brief stay on the initial 53. Preseason success can earn organizational investment even when position numbers block an immediate game-day place.
Running back showed how roster arithmetic can override highlights
Dallas released Jaydon Blue, Israel Abanikanda and Phil Mafah during the reduction to 53. The initial active group included Javonte Williams, Malik Davis and fullback Hunter Luepke, and the team subsequently claimed Emari Demercado. Those moves are a reminder that preseason evaluation is comparative and fluid. A runner is not competing only against teammates' carries; he is also competing against waiver claims, special-teams needs and the number of spots allocated to other positions.
Sam Williams was another notable release, while the injured Marist Liufau went to reserve with a designation to return. That designation protected a route back after his forearm heals without pretending he would be immediately available. The broader lesson is that no single box-score column explains a cut. Brown's receiving production aligned with a need and a complete role. Hudson and Milton remained in development. Other players lost out as Dallas rebalanced positions after league-wide cuts.
The official transactions therefore validate some preseason takeaways and complicate others. Brown was the obvious riser, but the Cowboys did not simply rank players by yards. They constructed a roster for offense, defense and special teams, then continued changing it after the initial deadline. Check the current Dallas team page for the games that roster will play and the NFL bye-week planner for the rest points that influence weekly availability.
What carries into the Cowboys' 2026 regular season?
Dallas opens the regular season at the New York Giants on Sunday, September 13. That game will feature starters, a tailored plan and stakes that the three exhibitions did not have. The useful preseason conclusions are therefore narrower than a prediction based on a 2-1 record.
1. Backup quarterback should be judged by operation, not highlights alone
Howell's job is to keep the offense functional if Prescott misses snaps, not to recreate Milton's most explosive throws from Arizona. The staff's stated emphasis on consistency and execution establishes the standard. Howell's Saints comeback was encouraging because it showed he could answer adversity, but his regular-season value will depend on avoiding the turnover and uneven stretches that appeared earlier in August.
2. Brown has earned opportunity, not a guaranteed target share
Brown's active-roster place was a genuine preseason win. The regular offense still includes established receivers Lamb, Pickens and Turpin, among others. Brown now has to turn explosive summer plays into special-teams reliability, blocking and production on a limited number of offensive snaps. His exhibition tape justified keeping him; it did not predetermine where targets will go.
3. Young defenders must carry communication and discipline forward
The response after Seattle's opening drive and Revel's interception in Arizona were positive markers. The 13-penalty opener was equally relevant. Regular-season opponents will punish free yardage and bad field position more consistently, and Dallas will be integrating young defenders while managing Liufau's absence. Downs, Lawrence, Barham and Revel offered reasons for optimism, but their next test is executing beside the full starting unit rather than dominating reserve matchups.
4. Availability can change the depth chart faster than a box score
Liufau's fractured forearm demonstrated the most uncomfortable preseason truth. A player can be progressing in a new role and still have his timeline reset by one snap. His reserve designation leaves a return path, but Dallas must begin the season with other linebackers carrying the work. Similar roster changes can continue through claims, injuries and practice-squad elevations.
The balanced conclusion is simple: the Cowboys found useful depth and several developmental wins, while also identifying discipline and availability concerns. Their 75 preseason points will not carry into Week 1, and neither will the 47 they allowed. Howell's trust, Brown's roster breakthrough and the young defense's response are the meaningful outcomes. Use the 2026 NFL Week 1 schedule for the Giants matchup and the NFL TV schedule for current channel information, since broadcast details can change after a retrospective is published.
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