With organized team activities starting next week at The Star, we thought it was a good time to answer some Dallas Cowboys questions about the upcoming season. Here are the responses to questions we received.What will you need to see early in the offseason to believe that Christian Parker is for sure an upgrade? Were there any warning signs last year with Matt Eberflus that you’ll be looking for? — Gary P.There were no particular warning signs early on in the offseason. The defense actually looked like it would be decent during training camp. The problems really didn’t start becoming evident until they started playing regular-season games. A lot of that has to do with how the offseason is now structured. Starters aren’t doing much, if anything, in the preseason, and training camp practices are far from what they used to be. It’s probably going to take at least the first month of the season to know what the Cowboys have in Parker. It’ll be interesting to see how he game plans for a team and adjusts during the game, just because he has never called a defense. The signs are all positive right now, but we really won’t know until the games start.Any chance the Cowboys are still interested in Jordyn Brooks from the Dolphins or any other inside LB that can wear the green dot? — Rich G.There’s a chance. It depends on the asking price and what Parker believes he has in Dee Winters, DeMarvion Overshown and Jaishawn Barham. If he thinks they have enough, it’s unlikely Dallas will make a notable move for someone like Brooks. He’s a 2020 first-round pick who is coming of an All-Pro season. He won’t be cheap. But inside linebacker remains the position with the most questions. Even if it’s not someone like Brooks, I could see them adding another veteran during training camp or when teams trim rosters down to 53.What is the answer at left tackle? I see Tyler Guyton getting good enough to help win 10 games and get into the playoffs. That’s the upside. But there is no upside that has him holding his own against playoff edge rushers for three straight games. Hopefully, the plan involves using a 2027 second-round pick to rent a good tackle for 1.5 years. — Justin P.The answer at left tackle is the winner of Tyler Guyton vs. Nate Thomas. If I had to predict today, I’d say Guyton keeps the job. But if he struggles or can’t stay healthy, I think they’ll go with Thomas. The emergency option if those two don’t work out is probably moving Tyler Smith from left guard to left tackle. The team and Smith would like to avoid that option. The interior offensive line of Smith, Cooper Beebe and Tyler Booker is a strength Dallas would like to use to its advantage. But if Dak Prescott’s blindside isn’t adequately protected, changes will have to be made.Are the changes to the Cowboys’ defense overhyped? Christian Parker is unproven. Is there any pass rush that can be relied on? For that matter, is there a linebacker on the roster that can be counted on? — Arthur B.Those are all good points. Of course there’s a chance of growing pains in Parker’s first season. But there is a strong confidence in the building that they are headed in the right direction defensively. They should be better in all areas compared to last season’s defense. The pass rush won’t be what it was with Micah Parsons, but it should be improved from last season. Inside linebacker is the spot that probably still needs a little help. It would be nice to have a team captain-type green dot linebacker. The Cowboys obviously wanted one, making a run at Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker and Devin Lloyd in free agency. I don’t think the defense will be overhyped by most because most aren’t expecting it to be elite after the disaster that was last season. It should be noticeably better, but expectations have to be reasonable.Getting George Pickens to fill that WR2 hole seems to have hidden how good Ryan Flournoy was as the WR3, which is another long-time Cowboys hole. Was Flournoy a right place/right time guy in 2025, or is his production sustainable? — Sean D.I think Flournoy’s production is sustainable. I think he’s a good No. 3 option. And that’s what the Cowboys need him to be when they already have CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens and KaVontae Turpin. Where I would say pump the brakes is when I hear some say the Cowboys don’t need to re-sign Pickens because Flournoy can take on a bigger role. I think the No. 3 role is perfect for him.Ryan Flournoy caught 40 passes for 475 yards and four touchdowns in his second season after having just 10 receptions as a rookie in 2024. (Kevin Jairaj / Imagn Images)What game this season is most likely to tell us what this team really is so we can adjust our expectations accordingly? — Don J.I don’t think the Cowboys really get one of those games until Week 6 at Green Bay. By late October I think we’ll have a good idea if this team is a legitimate playoff contender. That also comes during a stretch when Dallas is playing five of seven away from AT&T Stadium. Get through that stretch at 4-3 or better and things will be looking pretty good for the rest of the season. Of course, that also greatly depends on being fortunate in the health department.Do you think Marist Liufau is a better fit as an edge rusher or linebacker? This guy had so much promise his rookie year, but since then, he has not seemed to fit our defense. Is this going to be a bust for the Cowboys, or can he find a role? Or is there maybe trade value? — Candy R.I don’t think there’s much trade value. It has surprised me that they haven’t found a role for him. I think he’s a better fit as an off-the-ball linebacker. The Cowboys say they want to use him this season as an outside linebacker, which is more of a pass-rushing type player. We’ll see how that works out, but there has to be a way to get a contribution from him. He’s talented enough to be contributing every game defensively.Does any UDFA not named Michael Trigg have a chance to make the 53? — MLJTrigg is definitely No. 1 on the list. I think he has a great opportunity to make the roster as the team’s No. 4 tight end. The next possibility would probably be offensive tackle Shiyazh Pete. His size immediately stands out (6-9, 309) when you see him on the field. And offensive tackle is a spot that is always a need. If he can show enough upside in training camp and the preseason, he could be someone to seriously consider for the 53-man roster. After that, maybe running back Dominic Richardson. I only mention him because of the questions with the running back room. After Javonte Williams and Hunter Luepke, there’s pretty much an open competition for the next two or three spots. Jaydon Blue, Malik Davis and Phil Mafah are the favorites, but maybe Richardson pushes them with a strong camp.With the addition of the new defensive staff and 4-5 new starters on that side, do you expect a jump into the top 12 or more of the 18-25 range? — Steve A.I would be more with the 18-25 range. A top-15 jump would be one of the biggest stories of the NFL season, just because of how bad Dallas’ defense was a year ago. They’ve improved, I just don’t think it will be that significant. For that to happen, Caleb Downs would have to be exceptional immediately, Rashan Gary would have to have one of his best seasons, Donovan Ezeiruaku would have to make a second-year jump, and there would have to be healthy seasons from Overshown, DaRon Bland and Shavon Revel. It’s all possible, but that might be asking too much.Who is the backup for Javonte Williams? What will the EDGE rotation look like and how is that impacted by CP’s new scheme? — Cliff M.Williams’ backup is most likely going to be Jaydon Blue or Malik Davis. Luepke could also get more carries. Williams and Luepke are roster locks. The Cowboys might keep only three backs on their initial 53, meaning the final spot could come down to Blue, Davis and Mafah. And they would probably still get at least one back on their practice squad. There are notable questions after Williams. If he’s healthy, their running back room is fine. If he were to miss time, that group doesn’t look great on paper.I think the edge rotation starts with Gary and Ezeiruaku getting the most snaps and then Malachi Lawrence next up, followed by James Houston, Sam Williams, Tyrus Wheat and Liufau. There’s a reason they were interested in Maxx Crosby. However, that door is probably closed now that they’ve added Gary and then drafted Lawrence in the first round. It’s a solid group, but there are questions that need to be answered. Ezeiruaku and Lawrence have to be key contributors.