With training camps less than a month away, speculation continues as to what NFL teams will look like once everyone gets to Week 1.
ESPN recently ranked every NFL teams’ projected starting lineup, listing the Cowboys as the sixth best group in the league.
With usual suspects such as Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Zack Martin on the roster, the Cowboys ranked third in the NFC, behind the San Francisco 49ers (first overall) and the Detroit Lions (fifth overall). Dallas also ranked first in the NFC East, with the Philadelphia Eagles at 10th and the Washington Commanders and New York Giants near the bottom of the league (30th and 32nd, respectively).
The Kansas City Chiefs (second), Baltimore Ravens (third), and New York Jets (fourth) also ranked higher than the Cowboys.
NFL analyst Mike Clay pinpointed edge rusher Micah Parsons as a main reason for the Cowboys’ high ranking. The 25 year-old is one of the league’s best defenders and a three-time All-Pro selection. He leads the NFL in edge pass rush win rate with 84 wins out of 238 plays since 2021, a rate of 35%. Parsons also ranks fourth for total sacks (40.5) over the last three seasons.
Conversely, Clay named the running backs the Cowboys’ greatest drawback.
With Tony Pollard in Tennessee, Dallas will have to rely on 28 year-old Ezekiel Elliott and other unproven talents to carry the load. Elliott is Dallas’ third all-time leading rusher, and was New England’s leading rusher last season, despite only posting 642 rushing yards.
NFL analyst Seth Walder believes all eyes should be on rookie offensive linemen Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe as they’ll play a crucial role in protecting quarterback QB Dak Prescott, assuming they earn starting jobs.
Oklahoma’s Guyton was selected in the first round of the NFL draft with the 29th pick, while Kansas State’s Beebe was selected with the 73rd pick in the third round.
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