Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott offered a candid assessment of the team's offensive identity through eight games of the 2026 season, stating, "Is it one we're proud of? I don't know. We'll be better, I can promise." Despite averaging 27.4 points per game, the offense has become less varied and less quarterback-friendly compared to the previous year.
Offensive Statistics Under Brian Schottenheimer
Under offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, the Cowboys have seen significant drops in key pre-snap metrics. The team's motion rate has fallen from 56.6% (13th in the NFL) in 2025 to 33.8% (31st) in 2026. Play-action usage dropped from 28.2% (9th) to 24.2% (21st), while under-center formations decreased from 38.4% (11th) to 35.7% (22nd). Conversely, shotgun rate increased from 61.6% (22nd) to 64.3% (11th), and run rate declined from 41.5% (24th) to 35.5% (28th). The offense maintains the league's fastest tempo, averaging 33.8 seconds between snaps compared to 32.9 seconds last season.
The rushing attack has also struggled, averaging 94.1 yards per game (eighth-worst in the NFL), leading to a run rate of just 32.5% — the fifth-lowest in the league.
Disconnect Between Coach and Quarterback
A philosophical disconnect appears to exist between Schottenheimer and Prescott regarding the use of pre-snap motion. Schottenheimer reportedly believes motion is harder to implement when trailing and can "cloud the picture" for the quarterback. Prescott, however, sees motion as a tool to disguise core plays, break tendencies, and gather defensive information. "Sometimes it's just to dress it up and take the defense, give them a different look of us running a core play and breaking some tendencies with a motion to get this play done," Prescott explained. "Sometimes it's used strictly for me to see the disguise, to see the matchups that we've got or to create different matchups by moving them from one side to the other and really just getting all the information I can through motion."
If Schottenheimer does not reintroduce the elements that simplified the offense for Prescott, the Cowboys may struggle to stay competitive while their defense continues to falter.
