While the offense consistently produced enough points to stay competitive, the Dallas Cowboys ' defense was pathetic last season. According to PFN's Defense Impact Metric , Dallas posted the league's lowest defensive impact score at 53.4 in the 25-26 season.
Because of those alarming numbers, PFN's Priyanshu Choudhary recently identified four-time Pro Bowler Marshon Lattimore as the ideal free agent target to help stabilize one of the Cowboys' biggest weaknesses.
In his report, Choudhary explained that the Dallas defense could not keep up with the team's explosive offense.
"Between Dak Prescott , George Pickens , CeeDee Lamb , and a rejuvenated run game, the offense was firing on all cylinders for the team," Choudhary shared in the report . "However, the defense hadn't yet recovered from the Micah Parsons trade, with the secondary standing out even more.
"The draft served as the perfect place for them to add more pieces, and Caleb Downs might be the best prospect they could have gotten. But they didn't draft a true cornerback till the fourth round. As a result, the team is still weak in that department."
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Still, Dallas tried to solve their defensive problems during the offseason. They hired Christian Parker as defensive coordinator and reshaped the roster with several additions like Rashan Gary , Malachi Lawrence, Dee Winters , and Jaishawn Barham . They also brought in versatile safety Downs to give the secondary another athletic playmaker.
Still, Cowboys fans know roster changes alone do not guarantee results. Several newcomers still need to prove themselves, and a new scheme always comes with uncertainty. Questions remain about whether Dallas has done enough to improve both its run defense and pass coverage.
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That uncertainty is exactly why Choudhary believes Lattimore could still fill an important role:
"While Lattimore isn't a perennial Pro Bowl candidate anymore, he can still be a factor in big games, as he proved in Washington. His experience and proven resume could be enough to entice Dallas to take a chance on him."
Lattimore entered the NFL with massive expectations after the New Orleans Saints selected him in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He wasted no time living up to the hype, stepping into the starting lineup right away and developing into one of the league's toughest cornerbacks. His standout debut earned him Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and the first of four Pro Bowl selections.
However, injuries gradually became a bigger concern during the final stretch of his time in New Orleans and limited his availability. So, the Saints decided to move on after Lattimore appeared in just 17 combined games across the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Still, he responded with a solid run after joining the Commanders . Unfortunately, his momentum ended when he suffered a torn ACL during the 2025 season, restricting him to only nine games . As a result, Washington chose to release Lattimore in March rather than continue betting on his health.
However, that decision now gives the Cowboys an interesting opportunity. If Dallas signs the veteran, both sides could benefit.
Lattimore would get a chance to revive his career, while America's Team would add an experienced cornerback to support a defense still searching for stability.
