Cowboys named as the third-most talented roster in the NFL

Like every team in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys have their fair share of question marks as the preseason comes to an end. Some of those questions include whether their offensive line will be able to hold up throughout the course of a 17-game season? Will the defense make strides and not hold the team back like it did in 2020? Will Dak Prescott stay healthy and will the offensive get back into a rhythm?

Despite all these questions, there’s one thing that never seems to be a real question in Dallas. The talent on their roster. The Cowboys’ rosters of the past and present might be a bit top-heavy, but they always seem to have as much pure talent as anyone else in the league.

Bleacher Report backed up this belief on Sunday, ranking the Cowboys as the third-most talented roster in the NFL. Dallas was behind just the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs, both teams who went to the Super Bowl last season.

Here’s what they had to say about the Cowboys’ roster.

It’s easy to overlook the Dallas Cowboys after their down season last year. But that would be a mistake in part because of Dak Prescott. Prior to playing just five games last year, he threw for 4,902 yards and 30 touchdowns against 11 interceptions in 2019. One of the league’s premier passers operates behind one of the best offensive lines, which features left tackle Tyron Smith and right guard Zack Martin—and the stability and borderline guaranteed production is what helps the Cowboys rank higher than the Ravens.

Prescott also gets to work with one of the best surrounding casts. Ezekiel Elliott is a star running back, Amari Cooper is the No. 1 wideout, 2020 No. 17 pick CeeDee Lamb has huge upside, and Michael Gallup might be one of the most underrated wideouts out there (843 yards, five touchdowns, 14.3 yards per catch last season).

Don’t sleep on the defense, either, after last year’s near-historical ineptitude. Better coaching and schemes under new coordinator Dan Quinn should get more from mainstays such as Jaylon Smith. Either way, Smith resides with a stacked linebacker core alongside Leighton Vander Esch and 2021 No. 12 pick Micah Parsons. While the rebuilt defense still has to prove it on the field, the DeMarcus Lawrence-led pass rush and an infusion of defensive talent (eight of the team’s 11 draft picks, including the first six, were defenders) point the arrow up alongside an offense with best-in-the-league potential.

On offense, it would be hard to find a more talented team. If fully healthy, the Cowboys have at least six players who are capable of playing at an All-Pro level. Even on the team’s weaker side of the ball, Dallas has some big-name talent like DeMarcus Lawrence, Randy Gregory, Micah Parsons and Leighton Vander Esch.

The question for the Cowboys has never been about the top 10-15 players on their rosters, it’s been about the other 38 or so. Dallas always has had their stars, but they’ve lacked deep enough rosters to make a real push deep into the postseason.

Time will tell if this year will be any different.