🚨 TIME UPDATE: Cowboys vs. Saints Is Set for Friday Night — Check the Kickoff Time.nam

TIME UPDATE: COWBOYS RETURN HOME FOR PRESEASON FINALE — NEW ORLEANS ARRIVES FRIDAY NIGHT WITH FINAL ROSTER JOBS ON THE LINE

The Dallas Cowboys will finally play in front of their home crowd Friday night when they close the 2026 preseason against the New Orleans Saints at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Kickoff is officially scheduled for Friday, August 28 at 7:00 p.m. CDT, the local U.S. Central Daylight Time used in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and this will be Dallas’ only home game of the three-game preseason. After opening August with road victories over Seattle and Arizona, Brian Schottenheimer’s team has one final opportunity to evaluate its roster before the NFL’s 53-man cutdown deadline arrives Sunday.

For Cowboys fans in the Dallas-Fort Worth market, the game will air locally on CBS Texas, KTVT/CBS 11, with CBS Texas beginning its Cowboys pregame coverage at 6:00 p.m. CDT before the 7:00 p.m. kickoff. The Cowboys’ official schedule also lists NFL+ as a streaming option, although live preseason availability on NFL+ can depend on whether the viewer is inside or outside the participating teams’ local television markets. CBS Texas confirmed that Bill Jones and former Cowboys receiver Isaiah Stanback will call Dallas’ 2026 preseason broadcasts, including Friday’s game against New Orleans.

One important detail is that this should not be confused with a nationwide CBS telecast simply because the Cowboys’ official schedule displays “CBS.” The NFL’s Week 3 preseason schedule classifies Saints-Cowboys as a local broadcast, while CBS’ national Friday-night preseason game in the same window is Cincinnati against Philadelphia, meaning Dallas-area viewers should specifically look for CBS Texas/KTVT rather than assuming the matchup is available on every CBS affiliate in the country. Saints fans in the New Orleans market can instead watch on WVUE-FOX 8, with the game also carried across the Saints’ Gray Television preseason network in markets including Baton Rouge, Biloxi, Mobile, Lafayette, Jackson and several other Gulf Coast cities.

Radio coverage will also be available on both teams’ established networks for supporters who cannot watch the television broadcast. In Dallas-Fort Worth, the Cowboys list KRLD-FM 105.3 The Fan as their local radio home, with Brad Sham, Babe Laufenberg and Kristi Scales forming the regular English-language Cowboys broadcast crew, while the club’s preseason broadcasts have also offered Spanish radio on KVMK-FM 107.5 La Grande. New Orleans listeners can hear the Saints broadcast on WWL 870 AM and 105.3 FM, with Spanish-language Saints coverage available on 830 AM and 105.7 FM in the New Orleans market.

The football itself carries considerably more meaning than a typical preseason finale because Dallas enters Friday with a perfect 2-0 exhibition record. The Cowboys opened with a 17-7 victory at Seattle before producing their most complete performance of the summer in a 34-13 win at Arizona, giving Dallas its first 2-0 preseason start since 2007. The result does not count once September arrives, but the improvement from one week to the next has created several fascinating roster decisions for Schottenheimer and his staff.

Nothing will draw more attention Friday than the competition between Joe Milton and Sam Howell for the right to back up Dak Prescott. Schottenheimer said Sunday that he still was not ready to declare a winner because he believes both quarterbacks have demonstrated that they are capable of handling the QB2 role, meaning the Saints game should provide one final major data point. Milton nevertheless enters the finale with enormous momentum after completing nine of 13 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns against Arizona while also running for another score, producing a 151.4 passer rating during Dallas’ dominant first half.

Howell has much more NFL starting experience, but Friday could become critical because Dallas must decide whether carrying three quarterbacks is worth sacrificing another roster position. The veteran signed a one-year contract carrying $2.5 million in guaranteed money, yet Milton’s development has made it conceivable that the Cowboys could accept that financial cost if they believe he has clearly established himself as Prescott’s backup. Schottenheimer has resisted making that decision publicly, so every series against New Orleans could matter when Dallas meets to construct its initial 53.

Running back provides another competition worth following even though the top of the position is considerably clearer. Javonte Williams sits at the front of the backfield, while Malik Davis has strengthened his claim to the No. 2 role and Jaydon Blue responded against Arizona with 75 yards on 15 carries, giving Dallas another explosive option to consider. The Saints finale represents one last opportunity for Blue, Phil Mafah and the other reserve backs to demonstrate rushing ability, pass protection and special-teams value before coaches begin comparing players across different positions.

Wide receiver could produce similarly difficult conversations because several Cowboys have used camp and the preseason to force their way into the discussion. Camden Brown emerged as one of the summer’s biggest surprises, Jonathan Mingo produced a 53-yard touchdown from Milton in Arizona and Ryan Flournoy has remained involved in a room where every additional receiver kept comes at the expense of depth somewhere else. The finale is especially valuable for receivers near the bottom because special-teams snaps and blocking effort can become just as important as catches when coaches are choosing their fifth or sixth option.

Dallas also has an unexpected problem at tight end after injuries transformed what had been viewed as one of the deeper rooms on the roster. Princeton Fant is out for the season, Michael Trigg and D.J. Rogers have been dealing with injuries, and Zack Kuntz was forced to handle a heavy workload against Arizona, prompting the Cowboys to sign 6-foot-5 Mitch Van Vooren this week. Friday should give Van Vooren an immediate opportunity to absorb snaps while Dallas protects established players such as Jake Ferguson and Brevyn Spann-Ford and continues evaluating Luke Schoonmaker and the remaining depth options.

Defensively, Cowboys fans should continue watching a group that has shown encouraging signs under coordinator Christian Parker after undergoing major offseason changes. Rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham returned against Arizona after missing the opener, first-round safety Caleb Downs has received carefully managed preseason work and cornerback Shavon Revel has already supplied a takeaway during Dallas’ summer evaluation period. The final exhibition will give Parker another chance to examine younger defenders without exposing every established veteran to unnecessary contact days before the roster must be reduced.

New Orleans arrives in Arlington with its own urgency after opening the preseason with losses to Jacksonville and Los Angeles, including a difficult 34-0 defeat against the Rams in Week 2. Kellen Moore’s Saints have been evaluating the quarterback depth behind Tyler Shough, with Zach Wilson and Spencer Rattler both receiving preseason opportunities, while injuries have created major questions at running back and wide receiver. Alvin Kamara’s knee injury has increased the importance of Travis Etienne Jr. and the surrounding backfield depth, and New Orleans recently moved to add more help as it attempts to stabilize the position before the regular season.

There is also plenty of familiarity between these teams because Moore is returning to Arlington after previously serving as a Cowboys quarterback, quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. Dallas and New Orleans already saw each other during a heated joint practice in Oxnard earlier this month, so Friday will not feel like the first time these rosters have competed against one another this summer. That history adds another layer to a matchup that would already carry considerable intensity because dozens of players know their next NFL opportunity may depend on what happens inside AT&T Stadium.

The urgency will become immediate after the final whistle because the NFL has moved its 2026 cutdown deadline earlier than in recent seasons. Teams must reduce their active rosters to 53 players by 6:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 30, leaving Dallas less than 48 hours after Friday night’s game to make its final decisions, submit waivers and begin identifying potential practice-squad players. That makes Cowboys-Saints a genuine final audition for Milton, Howell and many of the young players who have spent the past month fighting for an NFL job.

For Cowboys Nation, the essential information is straightforward: Dallas hosts New Orleans on Friday, August 28 at 7:00 p.m. CDT at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, with CBS Texas/KTVT CBS 11 carrying the game in Dallas-Fort Worth and NFL+ providing an official streaming option subject to market restrictions. Cowboys radio coverage is available on 105.3 The Fan, while Saints fans can watch through FOX 8/Gray TV in the New Orleans regional market and listen on WWL 870 AM/105.3 FM, and CBS Texas’ pregame coverage begins at 6:00 p.m. CDT. More importantly for Dallas, the only home game of its preseason is also the last opportunity for the QB2 battle, running back competition, receiver depth and several defensive roster fights to settle themselves before Sunday’s 53-man deadline.