Over the next month, we will go around the league with team previews that lead up to the final weekend of preseason action—starting with the NFC East. To get can’t-miss NFL news and analysis straight into your inbox all year long, sign up for our free newsletter, which includes insights you won’t find anywhere else.
- 2023 finish: 12-5 (first in NFC East); lost to GB in WC Round
- Over/under: 9.5 wins
Notable additions
RB Ezekiel Elliott, RB Royce Freeman, LB Eric Kendricks, DC Mike Zimmer
Notable losses
RB Tony Pollard, WR Michael Gallup, OT Tyron Smith, C Tyler Biadasz, DE Dorance Armstrong, DE Dante Fowler, DT Johnathan Hankins, DT Neville Gallimore, LB Leighton Vander Esch, CB Stephon Gilmore, S Jayron Kearse, DC Dan Quinn
2024 draft class
OT Tyler Guyton (1.24), DE Marshawn Kneeland (2.56), OL Cooper Beebe (3.73), LB Marist Liufau (3.87), CB Caelen Carson (5.174), WR Ryan Flournoy (6.216), OT Nathan Thomas (7.233), DT Justin Rogers (7.244)
Projected starters
QB: Dak Prescott
RB: Ezekiel Elliott
WR: CeeDee Lamb
WR: Brandin Cooks
WR: Jalen Tolbert
TE: Jake Ferguson
LT: Tyler Guyton (R)
LG: Tyler Smith
C: Brock Hoffman
RG: Zack Martin
RT: Terence Steele
DE: Micah Parsons
DT: Osa Odighizuwa
DT: Mazi Smith
DE: DeMarcus Lawrence
LB: Eric Kendricks
LB: Damone Clark
CB: Trevon Diggs
FS: Malik Hooker
SS: Donovan Wilson
SCB: Jordan Lewis
CB: DaRon Bland
2024 outlook
The contract situations for Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons are currently hanging over the Cowboys, and head coach Mike McCarthy entering the final year of his contract creates a very interesting dynamic heading into 2024. I would expect a deal to get done with Lamb, and Dallas should work to extend Parsons a year early as salaries continue to climb; but don’t be surprised if Prescott—who cannot be franchise tagged based on a contract stipulation—and the Cowboys both want to explore their options after the season if they again come up short in January.
Many outside the building haven’t bought the “all in” mantra from Jerry Jones considering the key departures for Dallas in the offseason, but the team is counting on in-house options to become contributors, and the Cowboys have shown they can develop talent with the best of them. That said, recent draft classes have not quite lived up to the success of previous years, so guys like Jalen Tolbert and Mazi Smith need to step up.
Defensively, Dallas didn’t perform up to expectations in the biggest spots under Dan Quinn, so Mike Zimmer could boost a unit that has the league’s top two playmaking cornerbacks on the perimeter with Trevon Diggs (coming off a torn ACL) returning to form a ball-hawking tandem with DaRon Bland, and don’t sleep on Malik Hooker patrolling the backend as another defensive weapon.
Position battle to watch: Center
It sounds like Brock Hoffman is the clear favorite to anchor the offensive line, but third-round pick Cooper Beebe saw work there in the spring and has been splitting time between center and guard to start training camp. While the most likely scenario is Beebe being a versatile backup in Year 1, he could force his way into the starting lineup with a strong month of August.
Breakout candidate: LB Damone Clark
Another third-round rookie in Marist Liufau will push for playing time alongside veteran Eric Kendricks, and Micah Parsons being used in a more expansive role could result in more snaps for him as a traditional off-ball linebacker. Still, Clark was a stud at LSU, and after dealing with a neck injury that slowed his rookie campaign, he was a 17-game starter that quietly totaled 109 tackles in 2023. Star potential is there for Clark as a highly intelligent three-down linebacker.
Circle on the calendar: Week 8 (@ SF) | Sunday, October 27 – 8:20 PM ET
The Cowboys get a bye in Week 7 before taking on a San Francisco squad that they have really struggled with in recent years, so there won’t be a better measuring stick for them. A win will have the team believing they can finally make a deep playoff run, but a non-competitive loss might have Bill Belichick speculation kick into full gear before Halloween.
Bottom line
Dak Prescott playing like he did in the second half of 2023 and the defense becoming more consistent when they face top competition could allow them to be the first repeat division champion in the NFC East since 2004. On the other hand, the Cowboys will be counting on a bunch of players to step up in 2024, and it’s fair to wonder if uncharacteristically sub-par drafting will catch up to them—resulting in a reset for 2025.