DALLAS — The 2023 NFL season has arrived, and that means the arrival of another season for the Dallas Cowboys.
And here they are, 27 years later, still chasing that elusive next Super Bowl. A sixth championship remains at-large and although Jerry Jones continues to say there that there isn’t a number so high that he wouldn’t write it on a check to win another title, folks have been wondering for the last few decades if he’s lost access to his bank account.
Cowboys fans would settle for at least for a final four appearance, something else that has proven difficult to attain. The sad fact remains that the Cowboys are one of just three teams in the NFC to not reach at least the NFC Championship game since the turn of the century. That’s a point of contention, and embarrassment.
However, none of that matters to the 2023 squad, as America’s Team prepares for the Week 1 opener in New York. This is a different version of the Cowboys, and they cannot look back, only forward. These Cowboys can’t change anything from the last 27 years, but they can embrace their immediate future.
That future at least appears to be bright for the upcoming campaign, as the Cowboys have the pieces in place to compete for the Super Bowl. Barring a catastrophic injury, this year’s edition is perhaps head coach Mike McCarthy’s best roster since arriving in Dallas.
After a few trades to bring in quality veterans at positions of need, the Cowboys have one of the deepest teams in the league. The only real question mark surrounds the offensive line, but as Jones suggested, offensive line depth is an issue around the NFL.
Add in rookie Brandon Aubrey’s inexperience at kicker, and that’s about the list of immediate glaring worries.
Having so few issues heading into the season doesn’t guarantee success for the Cowboys, of course, but it is a positive. There’s a good feeling around this team and as McCarthy mentioned, the theme for 2023 is “Carpe Omnia, seize everything.” The Cowboys are ready to attack a new year with a loaded roster.
On offense, the Cowboys moved on from the Ezekiel Elliott era, but that allowed them to elevate to a more efficient and explosive runner in Tony Pollard. In the last two seasons, it was evident that Pollard was the better running back, and now he’ll get his chance to shine behind an offensive line that is one of the best when the starting five are healthy. If the unit stays on the field for most of the season, Pollard should shatter his career high on 1,007 rushing yards that he set last season.
Stepping into Pollard’s role as backup is fourth-year man Rico Dowdle and rookie Deuce Vaughn. There aren’t many more exciting players in the league than Vaughn, who’s electric play this summer has fans clamoring to see him in the regular season.
At wide receiver, the Cowboys addressed one of their biggest issues from last year with the addition of speed at the position. Trading for veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks should alleviate some of the tight window throws that got quarterback Dak Prescott in trouble and open up the passing game down the field. Cooks, along with top target wide recievers CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, and second-year man Jalen Tolbert gives the Cowboys a plethora of weapons on the outside.
The team did move on from starting tight end Dalton Schultz, but sophomore tight ends Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot appear ready to elevate their games. Dallas also used a premium pick to draft Luke Schoonmaker to improve the athletic ability of the position, which will help attack the middle of the field.
The offense is loaded with talent, but it will all still fall on Prescott’s shoulders to keep the unit trending in the right direction. McCarthy will be the play caller, and there’s a new offensive coordinator and a revised offensive system, but it’s on the quarterback to make it all work. If Prescott plays well, Dallas should continue to enjoy a top five offense, and that’s the expectation.
Defensively, Dallas is coming off back-to-back seasons where they led the league in turnovers, doing so a third consecutive time would be unheard of in today’s NFL. Dan Quinn’s defense doesn’t need to top the league in takeaways to be successful, but it’s helped the team win 12 games in back-to-back seasons.
The Cowboys also get to the quarterback at a high rate, ranking third in sacks last season and boasting one of the game’s best defensive players in Micah Parsons. The freak pass rusher looks to be primed for his best year yet after a grueling offseason workout program to give him the conditioning to handle more downs as a pass rusher.
Parsons is joined by defensive ends DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler, and Sam Williams to cause chaos off the edge. While on the interior, Osa Odighizuwa has blossomed into an underrated two-way tackle to pair with Johnathan Hankins, Neville Gallimore, and rookie first-rounder Mazi Smith in the middle.
All told, the Cowboys sport one of the better defensive lines in the league, with the depth to excel.
In the back seven, the Cowboys are short at linebacker, but with how Quinn uses his safeties, the defense keeps offenses guessing. The new pairing of cornerbacks Trevon Diggs and Stephon Gilmore ranks among the best tandems in the league, and second-year man DaRon Bland manning the slot gives the Cowboys a top cornerback group. Diggs’ 17 interceptions over the last three years is tied for the league-lead, and now he gets a Pro Bowl caliber corner on the other side to make life tough on opposing quarterbacks.
At safety, Quinn’s three-headed monster is a chess match that he’s used to success over the last two seasons. Donovan Wilson, Jayron Kearse, and Malik Hooker each have their role to play, and they’ll all see the field on most snaps to account for the lack of linebacker depth.
It’s a defense that’s been transformed since Quinn took over and one that has added talent, look for them to be one of the better units in the league.
Receiver and return man KaVontae Turpin enters season two with a Pro Bowl on his resume, but the special teams question mark is Aubrey. If Aubrey shows that he can make the easy ones the Cowboys are in good shape. John ‘Bones’ Fassel joining McCarthy as special teams coach ahead of the 2020 season has helped Dallas become one of the stronger coverage teams in the league, as well.
Despite seemingly muted expectations, this is a very good Dallas Cowboys team, and one that is deep and talented. They play in a division that has grown tougher in recent years with one of the league’s best teams in the Philadelphia Eagles, and two emerging franchises in the New York Giants and Washington Commanders.
However, the feeling is that a more under-the-radar than usual Cowboys team can break at least one of the 27-year trends and play for a shot at the Super Bowl by making it to the NFC Championship game. Anything less might feel like a failure, especially in McCarthy’s fourth season and with him being given the reins to the offense.
This is a Super Bowl caliber team and a deep playoff run feels like it’s their destiny if this is indeed the year that they can get over the hump.
How many wins do you see the Cowboys earning in 2023? Share your predictions with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.
More Cowboys coverage: