Updated Jan. 4, 2026, 10:41 p.m. CT

  • The Cowboys finished their 2025 season with a 7-9-1 record after losing to the New York Giants.
  • The Cowboys’ loss, combined with an Atlanta win, improved their position in the 2026 NFL Draft to at least No. 12.
  • Dallas also owns the Green Bay Packers’ first-round pick from the Micah trade, and they’ll wait for how the playoffs work out to determine their slot.

The Dallas Cowboys‘ 2025 season is over. By virtue of their 34-17 loss to the New York Giants in Week 18, the club finished out of the playoff picture and under .500 for the second-consecutive season. Their 7-9-1 record was the result of horrific defense all year, horrific special teams all year, and an inability for their very good offense to consistently produce in the red zone.

Dallas lacked a signature victory on the year, with their only win over a playoff team coming against a division rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, and required a comeback from 21-0 down. It would’ve been a signature, if the Eagles didn’t earn a reputation as a team that can’t score in the second half over and over again in 2025. The Cowboys are now in offseason mode, with the 2026 NFL Draft now the center of attention.

Where will the Cowboys pick?

One positive, when looking at the long-term health of the franchise, is that things have relatively gone the Cowboys way in the last couple of weeks when it comes to draft slot positioning. Despite winning in Week 17, most of the teams who could impact where Dallas selects also won. And as they lost in Week 18, capping their wins at seven, they got help again.

By virtue of their Week 4 tie against Green Bay, the Cowboys will draft after any team that finishes with the same number of wins. So if they had won, they’d draft after all seven and eight-win teams. With their loss, they draft ahead of any team with eight or more victories, and the Atlanta Falcons added themselves to that group on Sunday.

Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!Atlanta Falcons’ victory

The Falcons defeated the New Orleans Saints, 19-17, and while most of the football world was focused on that meaning the Carolina Panthers would win a three-way tiebreak for the NFC South title, it also moved the Falcons behind Dallas in draft order after the Cowboys’ loss.

The Miami Dolphins could also move behind the Cowboys, sliding Dallas up as high as No. 11, if they can upset the New England Patriots in the late window.

Update:The Dolphins lost, 38-10, locking Dallas’ own selections into the No. 12 selection in the first and all subsequent rounds.

The Cowboys’ loss also changes their rooting interest in the biggest game of Sunday. When a Cowboys’ win was possible, they would have wanted the Baltimore Ravens (8-8) to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7). That would mean the AFC South runner up Steelers would have nine wins, as opposed to a Ravens’ loss where they’d only have eight.

But now, that game is only important in determining where the Packers’ pick lies.

Dallas owns Green Bay’s pick thanks to the Micah Parsons trade. With a 9-7-1 record after a loss to Minnesota, the Packers could end up with a higher pick than the Steelers if Pittsburgh moves to 10 wins.

Playoff team draft order is a mixture of what round they are eliminated in, and then winning percentage. So if the Packers bow out as a wild-card loser (they’ve now lost four in a row), then the slot they give to Dallas will be No. 19 (if Carolina wins), No. 20 with a Steelers win, or No. 21 with a Baltimore win.

If the Packers end their slide and win a wild-card game, the pick will be, at best, No. 25.

Update: The Steelers won, so the Green Bay pick (if they lose in WC round) will be No. 19 if Carolina wins, or No. 20.