Cover photo taken from ESPN.
Welcome to 32 Teams in 32 Days, a daily series leading up to kickoff of the 2025 NFL season where I preview every team in the league as decided by a wheel spin and project what their season will look like. You can keep up with everything right here.
Our second dip into the NFC East takes us to the heart of Texas where the Cowboys are coming off a down year — most of it being without Dak Prescott — and seemingly facing an uphill climb to get back into the playoffs. But, with some interesting moves in the offseason, anything is possible.
Despite entering 2024 with Super Bowl sights, the season was over practically before it even began with nothing going on either side of the ball before Dak suffered a season-ending hamstring injury halfway through the year. They were getting embarrassed every other week by teams like New Orleans, Baltimore and Detroit with nonexistent offense and an abysmal defense.
Prescott was on track to have the worst passer rating of his career at 86.0 with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions, and finished 25th in EPA+CPOE (backup Cooper Rush was even worse, finishing 31st). The offense was 29th in EPA/play while the defense was 28th. It’s honestly surprising that Dallas managed to find seven wins amidst all that horrible football.
Thus, Jerry Jones decided it was time to make a change. Mike McCarthy was shown the door after five years at the helm and replaced by OC Brian Schottenheimer, who isn’t really fit for the job, but was the easy, in-house hire that wouldn’t take any attention away from Jerry. A classic Cowboys call. Parlay that with Zack Martin’s retirement and the departures of Demarcus Lawrence and Rico Dowdle, and it might be easy to say that the Cowboys got worse this offeseason.
I don’t want to diminish the additions, though. The biggest move was undoubtedly trading for WR George Pickens from Pittsburgh to pair alongside superstar CeeDee Lamb — bringing in a true deep threat to open up the middle of the field for No. 88 to go to work. But other solid gains were OG Tyler Booker in the first round and four running backs: Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders in free agency and Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah through the draft. I have a feeling that Blue will emerge as the lead back at some point, but more on that later.
In any case, this roster leaves a lot to be desired. The offensive line — which was 24th in pass block win rate a year ago — will likely feel the absence of Martin, and last year’s first-rounder Tyler Guyton is going to miss some time with a knee injury suffered in camp. There are no difference-making pass-catchers outside of Lamb, Pickens and tight end Jake Ferguson. The front seven can be solid if guys like Mazi Smith, Marshawn Kneeland and Donovan Ezeiruaku develop well; plus, vets like Dante Fowler, Soloman Thomas and Kenneth Murray can bring some oomph.
But those are some big ifs. Plus, the secondary is genuinely abysmal with Trevon Diggs constantly being hurt, Daron Bland falling off a cliff and guys like Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson just straight up not playing well. The only notable additions to that room are Kaiir Elam — who was awful in Buffalo — and rookie Shavon Revel Jr., who’s already dealing with injuries. Not great!
But honestly, none of that matters if Micah Parsons doesn’t get resigned. It’s baffling to me how Jerry Jones has let this nonsense get to this point. He is the best player on the team, one of the faces of the franchise, one of the league’s premier defensive players at an ultimate premium position. This deal should’ve been done months ago, if not last year. I understand they had to pay Dak and CeeDee, and both of those contracts were deserved. But so is this one. Especially when the rest of the defense is as bad as it is. I fully expect Parsons to resign in Dallas eventually, but if it comes to a trade, it’ll be an abject disaster for the Cowboys, who will be infinitely worse off for it.
X-Factor: The Secondary
It’s bad. Really, really bad. I already talked about the personnel, which should be enough of an indication that things are likely going to be rough again. But if — and it’s a huge if — they can find a way to improve under new DC Matt Eberflus, it’ll pay dividends for the rest of the team at large.
I also wanted to put the offensive line here, considering last season did not live up to their standard, but I don’t think they were necessarily the problem. Even if they struggle a bit, it’s really Dak’s health that plays the biggest factor.
I even wanted to put Dak here, but that seemed like too much of a shoe-in. Of course he plays the biggest role of anyone, and he needs to stay healthy, but he’s genuinely the least of my worries right now. Last time we saw him in a full season, he could’ve won MVP. It’s a different set of circumstances now, but I think he’ll be fine.
Team MVP: CeeDee Lamb
If you’ve been reading my work since Cedarian’s rookie season — first of all, thank you — you know how much I love him. He’s right next to Ezekiel Elliott as my favorite players to suit up for a division rival, simply because he’s just too damn good to disrespect. Last year wasn’t as productive as his nuclear 2023 campaign, but that’s excused considering the awful QB play he had. Still, 101 catches for 1,194 and six touchdowns is nothing to scoff at. Plus, he was the only real receiver on the roster — now, Pickens will help spread things out a bit. I imagine Lamb will line up in the slot a little more often, creating for some interesting possibilities for Brian Schottenheimer to scheme up. In any case, this season should be another monster one for CeeDee, who is a bonafide top-5 receiver in football and will be a nightmare for defenses no matter who’s at quarterback.
Breakout Candidate: RB Jaydon Blue
The fifth-round rookie out of Texas will fit this offense like a glove. He’s not the craziest north-south runner, but he’s a threat out of the backfield in the passing game, which plays right into the hands of Dak Prescott. When he gets the ball in his hands, he’s shifty and quick with breakaway speed — something that’s thoroughly lacking on this offense, particularly in the RB room. Because of that, I think he’ll find his way into the starting lineup sooner rather than later. He just brings a level of athleticism to the backfield that you won’t find in Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders or Phil Mafah.
Record Prediction: 7-10
I don’t think the Cowboys got worse, but I also don’t think they got much better. I don’t believe in this coaching staff, I certainly don’t believe in the ownership, I worry about the offensive line, I have questions about the front seven and I know the secondary stinks. Not a recipe for a winning season. I think Dak is a wildly over-hated player who will still likely have a good year, and the combo of Lamb and Pickens will be fun to watch. But that’s about it. It’s a gauntlet of a schedule like each of the other NFC East teams have to face, and unlike Philadelphia and Washington, this team is not built to handle it.
Next up: 
Washington Commanders
(oh my gosh lock in y’all.)
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