NFL Power Rankings roundup: Where the Dallas Cowboys rank ahead of Week 1
The Dallas Cowboys begin the 2023 NFL season on Sunday when they travel to play the New York Giants in their season opener.
What do national pundits think of the Cowboys at the start of this season?
Many pundits rank the Cowboys as one of the best teams in the NFL.
Eric Edholm, NFL.com
Perhaps Prescott’s future negotiations will help put Lance in a spot where he could one day become the Cowboys’ starter. But there seems to be a healthy dose of optimism with Prescott and the “Texas Coast” offense this season, to the point where I am buying in.
Frank Schwab, Yahoo Sports
The Cowboys’ No. 2 running back spot is still a concern. Rico Dowdle was Tony Pollard’s primary backup in the preseason, but he has never played in a regular-season game. Rookie Deuce Vaughn had some nice plays in preseason, and while he’s exciting, it’s hard to see him being an every-down back if Pollard misses time.
BR NFL Staff/ Bleacher Report
The talent is there in Dallas, whether it’s Lamb, quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Tony Pollard on offense or edge-rusher Micah Parsons and cornerback Trevon Diggs on defense. To date, though, production hasn’t met potential with this iteration of the team.
If it doesn’t happen in 2023, McCarthy could find himself looking for a job next spring.
Conor Orr, Sports Illustrated
Dallas comes into our initial poll at No. 8, just on the heels of the Eagles in the NFC East. I have the Cowboys projected as my eventual division champion this year, though the real proof will be in how Dak Prescott acclimates to what I imagine will be a more formulaic and lower-wattage offensive system. This could end up being good for Prescott, who will let the playmakers speak for themselves and take some pressure off himself.
Bo Wulf, The Athletic
Best Case Scenario: Brandin Cooks and a revitalized Michael Gallup keep opposing defenses from being able to key in on CeeDee Lamb as much as they’d like, and Dak Prescott’s interception rate returns to the level it was through the first six years of his career (1.7 percent) instead of its outlier high in 2022 (3.8 percent), giving the Cowboys the best passing offense in the NFC.
David Helman, Fox Sports
If not now, when? That’s the question I keep coming back to with this Cowboys team. They added to both sides of the ball by trading for Brandin Cooks and Stephon Gilmore. They’re bringing back all their stars. They have a veteran coach, a veteran quarterback and not much in the way of excuses. If Dak Prescott and Mike McCarthy can’t find a way over the hump this year, it’s hard to imagine when it’ll happen.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports
This is the pressure year for Dak Prescott and Mike McCarthy. The pressure is on both in a big way. Will Prescott handle it in big games? If he doesn’t, there will be changes next season.
NFL Nation reporters, ESPN
This is nothing new, of course. McCarthy has not had much of a honeymoon, and even winning 24 games in the past two years has not earned him much grace. But now that he is taking over as the playcaller, he will be under even more scrutiny. If the numbers falter and the wins don’t continue, there will be heat on McCarthy even if the organization publicly backs him. -- Todd Archer
Amelia Probst, Pro Football Focus
In the graphic below, it’s clear the Cowboys struggled to stop the run in 2022. So drafting Smith, who posted PFF grades of 75.0 or better in each of the past two seasons, made sense.
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk
As usual, everything looks great. As usual, potential flaws are lurking just below that shiny exterior.
