Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer wants to win the Super Bowl. And just like his father, Marty Schottenheimer, taught him, he’s not afraid to air his ambition. But to do that, the Cowboys need to address the turnover battles from last season, and Schotty isn’t shying away from calling it out.

“We’ve got the right type of guys in the locker room. We had an incredible year last year on offense,” Schottenheimer said on The Twin Takes podcast. “Dak played incredibly well. We added Javonte Williams, a North Carolina guy. CeeDee, George Pickens, Jake Ferguson. We drafted Tyler Booker to go with Tyler Smith, Terrence Steel, Cooper BeeBe. So, the offensive line was great.

“Unfortunately, really a couple things got us last year. We did not do a good enough job taking care of the football on offense. So, we were minus nine in the giveaway-takeaway battle, and my dad would not like that. So, we’re trying to get that better.”

That minus-nine turnover ratio defined Dallas’ 2025 season. The Cowboys finished 7-9-1 behind the second-best offense in the league that, ironically, couldn’t protect the ball. The Week 14 loss to the Detroit Lions highlighted this weakness the most. Dallas lost the turnover battle 3-0 with two interceptions from franchise quarterback Dak Prescott. Add another fumble, and the Lions got 14 points out of that, handing Dallas a 44-30 loss that dropped their playoff odds to single digits.

Week 18 against the New York Giants went down similarly. Linebacker Bobby Okereke recorded two turnovers for New York, and the Giants converted both into 10 points en route to a 34-17 win that ended the 2025 nightmare. Now, fixing it might not require a roster overhaul.

Maurico Rodriguez of A to Z Sports argues that improved tackle play – whether from Terrence Steele rebounding or Tyler Guyton finding his stride – would let Dallas “Drop back with five-step concepts, skip the check-and-release duties for the right end, and give Prescott more targets to work with downfield.”

As for Dak, he’s already locked in. Back at the minicamps, he noted that his 2026 target is “every ball gets completed.” He has also promised the playoffs to veteran DT Quinnen Williams, and has tackled this offseason with a chip on his shoulder.

As for Brian Schottenheimer, the defense was the other reason he gave for last season’s struggles. But he also noted that he’s “thrilled about the new coaches,” and praised the move to hire new defensive coordinator Christian Parker as “a home run.”

With everything Parker is building on defense this offseason, the Cowboys might finally win the turnover battle on defense. Schottenheimer has already promised the offense is working on protecting the ball better. Dallas won’t get where it wants to go if it keeps giving the ball away. Marty Schottenheimer wouldn’t have tolerated it, and now, it looks like his son isn’t going to either.