The preseason is in the books. The pads are strapped. The Cowboys are “all in” — or maybe that depends on whom you ask.
Dallas kicks off its season Sunday, Sept. 8, in Cleveland with a game against the Browns. They enter the season looking to bounce back from the humiliating fashion in which last season ended.
Here’s everything you need to know as the 2024-25 Dallas Cowboys season gets underway.
Featured topics
An illustrated prediction of every Dallas Cowboys game in the 2024 season
The Cowboys have won 12 games in three consecutive seasons. Will they make it four?
No.
Dallas is a good team. Very good. Better than the doom and gloom that swirled around the team’s frustrated fan base after the demolition they suffered at the hands of a young Green Bay team in the playoffs.
This team still has stars. You win with stars. But it has unproven depth and a tough schedule early.
After tragedy, loss and grief, Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer has a chance to heal in Dallas
Mike Zimmer’s world fell apart in October 2009 when he rushed home and found his wife of 27 years had died.
Vikki was gone and the longtime coach had no time to grieve. There were two girls who needed their father, a son who would be flying in to help and a game three days away the Cincinnati Bengals needed to win.
It was different two years ago when Adam passed. Zimmer wasn’t the one to discover his son’s body. But to this day he avoids the exact spot he was standing on his Kentucky farm when he heard the news.
The fabric of Zimmer’s tight-knit family has unraveled twice since the defensive coordinator’s first stint with the Cowboys. The hope is a return to the Dallas area, which holds some of the fondest memories the family shares, will help them heal. Corri, the youngest, said this is the happiest she’s seen her father in 10 years.
Cowboys 53-man roster analysis: What stands out in Dallas’ initial list ahead of Week 1?
Dallas has whittled its roster down to 53 taking into account major injuries to players like DaRon Bland, Sam Williams and Chuma Edoga.
Calvin Watkins breaks down what the Cowboys will take into Week 1 — though, keep in mind, what you see on the initial 53 could change by the time boot meets leather in Cleveland next week.
Attendance at Dallas Cowboys training camp was lower than ever. Is it cause for concern?
Cowboys officials have acknowledged that fan attendance at training camp practices in Southern California was lower than ever. Fans on social media and sports talk radio have expressed displeasure with the Cowboys’ failures in the postseason.
A lack of playoff success is frustrating for fans and members of the organization. Yet, it hasn’t affected the balance sheet. Off the field, Sportico reported the Cowboys are the first North American sports franchise valued over $10 billion.
So while, yes, attendance is lower at training camp and fans’ frustration grows on social media, it appears the love for the Cowboys doesn’t wane.
The Cowboy Way: Have drama, distractions gotten harder for players to block out?
The Cowboys are not like most NFL franchises.
It’s a franchise spinning on its own axis. It’s a franchise where something other than football often takes place.
There’s the football side of the franchise with five Super Bowl titles, including three under current owner and general manager Jerry Jones.
And there’s the business side that some say distracts from the team’s overall goal of winning Super Bowls. Players say those perceived distractions are only a problem if you let them be.
Predicting the Dallas Cowboys’ 2024 season, NFL playoffs and Super Bowl LIX winner
Entering the new season, the Cowboys once again have high hopes.
After a long offseason dominated by contract extension talks and reshuffling among the coaching staff, Dallas gets another shot at ending its Super Bowl drought.
Could Dallas repeat as NFC East champion? Will Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs pull off a historic Super Bowl three-peat? The Dallas Morning News’ panel of experts brings you a fresh batch of predictions for the new season.
Division preview
Philadelphia Eagles
The Cowboys are the latest team through the ever-revolving door of NFC East champions.
They’ll have to finish ahead of Philadelphia’s “Dream Team” if the division is going to have a repeat winner for the first time since the Eagles won four in a row from 2001-04.
Dallas overtook Philadelphia last season with a third consecutive 12-5 record and trip to the playoffs, but only because the Eagles lost five of six after a 10-1 start, then made it six of seven with a loss at Tampa Bay in the wild-card round.
The Eagles plucked running back Saquon Barkley from New York, giving the Giants’ No. 2 overall pick from 2018 a three-year deal with $26 million guaranteed.
That wasn’t the only addition from a division rival. Philadelphia acquired Washington’s 2022 first-round pick, receiver Jahan Dotson, to be the third option behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
Add tight end Dallas Goedert, and quarterback Jalen Hurts appears to have everything he needs to atone for last season’s collapse, which kept Philadelphia from being that elusive repeat NFC East winner.
“All our players in this room have talent. But the best teams have something else. They have something else, and it’s the culture,” said coach Nick Sirianni, who could be on a hot seat despite guiding the Eagles to the Super Bowl two seasons ago. “I think sometimes you can lose sight of that, of like, ‘Hey, we’re not just going to win games because we’re talented.’ It takes everything.”
While the Eagles decided to keep Sirianni, there are two new coordinators in former Dallas play caller Kellen Moore on offense and Vic Fangio on defense. They also have to fill a void in the middle of the offensive line after six-time All-Pro center Jason Kelce retired.
“My message to the team (was) I’ve been on very talented teams pretty much my whole career,” said Hurts, who played at Alabama and Oklahoma. “Talent wins you games. It’ll take you very far. But it don’t last. Teams is what wins championships. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Washington Commanders
Dan Quinn replaced Ron Rivera as coach in Washington after spending the previous three seasons as Dallas’ defensive coordinator. Quinn’s first draft pick, at No. 2 overall, was 2023 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels of LSU.
New general manager Adam Peters overhauled the roster and one of the additions was linebacker Bobby Wagner. The six-time All-Pro spent 11 of his first 12 seasons in Seattle, and Quinn was the defensive coordinator for two of those.
Daniels will have a rebuilt offensive line in front of him, but a strong running back combination of Brian Robinson Jr. and free agent pickup Austin Ekeler behind him, along with elite receiver Terry McLaurin.
“I love each of the years because not every year is exactly the same,” Quinn said. “But you only get one first shot with a whole new group, and we’re not going to miss that shot.”
New York Giants
Daniel Jones could be entering a make-or-break year with the Giants based on the financial considerations of cutting or keeping the sixth-year quarterback next spring.
The former Duke player could make the decision easier with a return to 2022 form, when he led the Giants to their only playoff berth since 2016 and earned a $160 million contract. New York tried to help him by drafting former LSU receiver Malik Nabers sixth overall.
That playoff trip, which included a wild-card victory, was in coach Brian Daboll’s debut season, but the fickle nature of the NFL could have him on the hot seat with a stumble similar to last season’s 6-11 record. Daboll has taken over play calling from offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.
The Giants will have to get used to life without Barkley, although they had some training on that with the frequency of the former Penn State star’s injuries. They also have to replace safety Xavier McKinney, who signed with Green Bay after playing every defensive snap for New York and was the second-leading tackler.
Co-owner John Mara wants to see improvement in the Giants’ 100th season, but isn’t sure how to quantify that.
“I want to walk off the field at the end of the season feeling like we are moving in the right direction, (like) we’ve got a great foundation here and there’s every reason to be optimistic moving forward,” Mara said.
More division previews...
Quick analysis
— Newly-paid CeeDee Lamb makes joyful Cowboys return with Week 1 guarantee: ‘I’ll be ready’
— Dallas Cowboys release 53-man roster ahead of 2024 season
— 10 biggest stories from Dallas Cowboys training camp in Oxnard
— Training camp standouts: Which Dallas Cowboys made the most of their time in Oxnard?
— NFL’s notable free agents Cowboys could still target, including CB Xavien Howard
— Cowboys practice squad tracker: Which players could end up in Dallas after roster trim?
— See where CeeDee Lamb, other Dallas Cowboys rank among ESPN’s top 100 NFL players
— Cowboys-Chargers takeaways: Vaughn battles for roster spot, Lance shows inconsistency
— Cowboys-Raiders takeaways: QB Trey Lance finds his rhythm, K Brandon Aubrey stays steady
— Cowboys-Rams takeaways: QB Trey Lance has mixed results, new defense forces 4 turnovers
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunday, Sept. 8 | at Cleveland Browns | 3:25 p.m. | Fox |
| 2 | Sunday, Sept. 15 | New Orleans Saints | Noon | Fox |
| 3 | Sunday, Sept. 22 | Baltimore Ravens | 3:25 p.m. | Fox |
| 4 | Thursday, Sept. 26 | at New York Giants | 7:15 p.m. | Prime Video |
| 5 | Sunday, Oct. 6 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | 7:20 p.m. | NBC |
| 6 | Sunday, Oct. 13 | Detroit Lions | 3:25 p.m. | Fox |
| 7 | BYE WEEK | |||
| 8 | Sunday, Oct. 27 | at San Francisco 49ers | 7:20 p.m. | NBC |
| 9 | Sunday, Nov. 3 | at Atlanta Falcons | Noon | Fox |
| 10 | Sunday, Nov. 10 | Philadelphia Eagles | 3:25 p.m. | CBS |
| 11 | Monday, Nov. 18 | Houston Texans | 7:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| 12 | Sunday, Nov. 24 | at Washington Commanders | Noon | Fox |
| 13 | Thursday, Nov. 28 | New York Giants | 3:30 p.m. | Fox |
| 14 | Monday, Dec. 9 | Cincinnati Bengals | 7:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| 15 | Sunday, Dec. 15 | at Carolina Panthers | Noon | Fox |
| 16 | Sunday, Dec. 22 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7:20 p.m. | NBC |
| 17 | Sunday, Dec. 29 | at Philadelphia Eagles | 3:25 p.m. | Fox |
| 18 | Saturday/Sunday, Jan. 4/5 | Washington Commanders | TBD | TBD |
Note: Home games are in bold.
More topics...
— Why Jerry Jones’ waiting game with Dak Prescott’s contract isn’t such a bad idea
— Anonymous NFL agents trash Jerry Jones, Cowboys’ dealings with Dak Prescott in new report
— What to know about CeeDee Lamb’s contract extension with the Dallas Cowboys
— Bettors banking on Cowboys regression, Eagles resurgence as NFL season begins
— Could Dalvin Cook shake up Cowboys’ RB committee? For now, Dallas will wait and see
— Dallas Cowboys are StubHub’s most in-demand team heading into 2024 NFL season
— Dallas Cowboys training camp through a tilt-shift lens
— These Cowboys, who haven’t generated much buzz, remain a mystery after preseason finale
— How do the Cowboys survive the DaRon Bland injury? The search starts from within
— Strong showing in Oxnard expedites production expected from Cowboys’ 2024 rookie class
The Associated Press contributed to this post.
Twitter: @dmn_cowboys | @SportsDayDFW
Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
