The Dallas Cowboys are one of the most polarized teams in the NFL, entering the 2025 season. All will be watching Dallas (as usual) rebounding from the disappointing 7-10 2024 campaign under freshman head coach Brian Schottenheimer and a few new aides and roster acquisitions.
Professional Football Focus Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman are ranked 15th on the roster. The team is seen as a high, low-level wildcard with elite defensive talent and offensive firepower, but is hampered by huge contradictions.
Dallas Pass Rush remains one of the NFL's elite. Even if Micah Parsons missed four games in 2024, the Cowboys ranked fourth in the PFF's pass division rankings. Parsons, as destructive as ever, ranks 91.6 points in all marginal guards, third best. He is not alone. Defensive tackle OSA ODIGHIZUWA became an internal force, embodying 60 pressures and anchored the middle with a 78.5-level score. Together, they provide a defensive foundation for Dallas, and few teams can match.
Unfortunately, this dominance did not continue into the running game. The Cowboys are one of the worst units in the league, and in the run, they allow rushing 137.1 per game, ranking in Carolina and New Orleans. Defender Eric Kendricks and safety Malik Hooker are the only players to post a considerable defensive score (70.0 or higher), and often, opponents just bully their end. It's a clear focus for new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who inherits the defense that goes for chasing quarterbacks instead of stuffing the gap.
Then there is the most important name QB Dak Prescott. The experienced quarterback will be in the brutal 2024 game, playing only eight games and posting a 67.2 season pass result before being injured at the end of the season. But not long ago, he released 86.9 in 2023, one of the best times of his career. George Pickens joined the receiving wing, first-round draft pick Tyler Booker joined the offensive line, and Prescott was in the main position of the rebound. If he does, Dallas can play the playoff ticket.
Booker will be the most important rookie on the team. Outstanding performance at Alabama, the defender gave up only two sacks in three seasons and ranked fourth in the true pass obstacle class in 2024. His presence should be of great help in keeping Prescott upright and even returning to the running game.
There is no doubt that Dallas’s talent. However, talented people alone are not enough in recent years. To take the next step, cowboys need not only healthy Prescott and passes. They need to be resilient in the tides, smarter discipline on defense, and dedicated to ending the game. Because in the East of NFC, the good is not good enough.