Dallas Cowboys (Last Year: 7-10)
2025 NFL Season Preview:
Veteran Additions:
QB Joe Milton, RB Javonte Williams, RB Miles Sanders, WR George Pickens, WR Parris Campbell, G Robert Jones, DE Dante Fowler, DE Payton Turner, DT Solomon Thomas, LB Jack Sanborn, LB Kenneth Murray, S Kaiir Elam.
Early Draft Picks:
G Tyler Booker, DE Donovan Ezeiruaku, CB Shavon Revel, RB Jaydon Blue. Cowboys Rookie Forecast
Offseason Losses:
QB Cooper Rush, QB Trey Lance, RB Rico Dowdle, WR Brandin Cooks, OT Chuma Edoga, G Zack Martin, DE DeMarcus Lawrence, DE Chauncey Golston, DT Linval Joseph, ILB Eric Kendricks, CB Jourdan Lewis.
2025 Dallas Cowboys Offense:
The Cowboys were hovering around .500 and looked like they would have a chance to reach the playoffs when disaster struck against the Falcons. Prescott was lost for the season with a hamstring injury. He gave way to Cooper Rush even though Jerry Jones surrendered a fourth-round pick for Trey Lance. Rush had some good games, but was a failure overall, as Dallas reached only seven victories on the season. Prescott will be back for 2025, but Jones decided that he needed a better backup by acquiring Joe Milton from the Patriots.
Jones also recognized that Prescott needed plenty of help as well. The Cowboys have lacked a true No. 2 receiver for quite some time, but that changed this offseason when they dealt a third-round pick for George Pickens. The former Steeler has some locker room issues, but he’s a great talent and should play his best football with CeeDee Lamb commanding so much attention. Jake Ferguson will continue to be a solid option over the middle of the field.
The offensive line also needed to be addressed. Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz departed last year, so there were plenty of holes on the front in 2024. The Cowboys attempted to plug one of those holes by using their first-round pick on Tyler Booker. While Booker was great at Alabama, it’s fair to be skeptical about his NFL chances because of his abysmal agility scores, which are quite predictive of NFL success for offensive linemen. Booker will join Cooper Beebe and Tyler Smith on the front. Smith is a tremendous guard who can also play tackle if needed. Beebe played well as a rookie and should be better with experience.
If Tyler Smith remains at guard, the Cowboys will likely have some shaky play at tackle. Tyler Guyton, last year’s first-round pick, was anemic in his rookie season. Perhaps he’ll get better with experience, but he resembled a human turnstile last season. His bookend, Terence Steele, is coming off a bounce-back season after being so dreadful in 2023. Steele wasn’t very good last year, but he was much better than he was the prior season.
The Cowboys also spent some resources on running backs, but they could easily all fail. They signed Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders in free agency to replace the departed Rico Dowdle. It seems like keeping Dowdle would’ve been the better option because Williams has disappointed the past few years, while Sanders has been exposed as a poor runner who was able to benefit from Philadelphia’s elite blocking in the past. The Cowboys used a fifth-round pick on the electric Jaydon Blue, although there has been some criticism of Blue’s work ethic.
2025 Dallas Cowboys Defense:
Dallas’ defense is known for its impressive pass rush and pretty sack numbers, but the unit as a whole finished 28th in yards surrendered and 31st in points allowed. Micah Parsons missed four games, but that’s not enough to derail the defense so much.
Despite being 28th in yards allowed, the Cowboys finished first in pressure rate, so it’s not like Parsons’ four-game absence meant all that much. Parsons logged 12 sacks, while five other players notched either 4.5 or five sacks. Dallas lost one of them – Chauncey Golston – and saw long-time Cowboy DeMarcus Lawrence depart, so they compensated for the departures by signing Dante Fowler and Payton Turner and then drafting Donovan Ezeiruaku in the second round. Fowler had double-digit sacks for the Redskins in 2024, while Turner is a former first-round pick who still has some potential. Ezeiruaku, meanwhile, was expected to be chosen in the opening frame, but he fell to Dallas on Friday.
The Cowboys are much better on the edge than they are in the interior of the defensive line. There’s Osa Odighizuwa, who notched 4.5 sacks, but that’s about it as far as solid players are concerned. Former first-rounder Mazi Smith has been a huge disappointment, while newly signed Solomon Thomas won’t contribute very much. The poor play at defensive tackle is one of the primary reasons why Dallas was so awful defensively last year. The team simply could not stop the run, thanks to this poor group. It’s so bad that seventh-round rookie Jay Toia was taking snaps with the starters at OTAs.
The linebacking corps looks to be a huge problem as well. The Cowboys had some strong play out of DeMarvion Overshown last year, but the 2023 third-rounder suffered a devastating knee injury where he tore his ACL, MCL, and PCL. Overshown is likely to miss most of 2025, so it’ll be up to Kenneth Murray and Marist Liufau to take charge. Murray is an atrocious player, while Liufau, taken in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, struggled while replacing Overshown last season.
Overshown isn’t the only starter who will miss the beginning of the season. There’s also cornerback Trevon Diggs, who has an extensive injury history. Diggs, who was recovering from a torn ACL last year, sustained another knee injury to the same leg. He had surgery in January and may not be ready until the midway point of the season. The Cowboys signed Kaiir Elam and used a third-round pick on Shavon Revel to compensate for this development. There’s very little hope with Elam, but perhaps Revel can thrive as a rookie. He provided nice value at his draft spot. The only proven player at the position is DaRon Bland, who is coming off a strong year.
There are no issues at safety, with Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker reprising their roles as starters. Neither was great last year, but neither was a liability either.
2025 Dallas Cowboys Schedule and Intangibles:
Brandon Aubrey is arguably the best kicker in the NFL. He was 40-of-47 last year, hitting a ridiculous 14-of-17 from 50-plus.
Bryan Anger maintained the league’s No. 2 net punting average in 2023, but saw that drop to 14th last year. He was solid at putting the opposition inside the 20.
The Cowboys have a mixed schedule. They have to take on the Lions, Vikings, Chiefs, Broncos, and the Eagles and Redskins twice each. On the other hand, they get to battle the Jets, Raiders, Panthers, and the Giants twice.
2025 Dallas Cowboys Rookies:
Go here for the Cowboys Rookie Forecast, a page with predictions like which rookie will bust and which rookie will become a solid starter.
2025 Dallas Cowboys Positional Rankings (1-5 stars):
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Projection: 7-10 (3rd in NFC East)
2024 Projection: 9-8. 2024 Actual Result: 7-10.
2023 Projection: 10-7. 2023 Actual Result: 12-5.
2022 Projection: 8-9. 2022 Actual Result: 12-5.
2021 Projection: 6-11. 2021 Actual Result: 12-5.
2020 Projection: 8-8. 2020 Actual Result: 6-10.
2019 Projection: 7-9. 2019 Actual Result: 8-8.
2018 Projection: 5-11. 2018 Actual Result: 10-6.
2017 Projection: 11-5. 2017 Actual Result: 9-7.
2016 Projection: 10-6. 2016 Actual Result: 13-3.
NFL Draft Team Grade: C+ Grade
Goals Entering the 2025 NFL Draft: The Cowboys need offensive weapons. Their running back situation is awful, and they have nothing at receiver beyond CeeDee Lamb. They also must bolster their offensive line, which has gotten much weaker in recent years. Dallas has some defensive issues as well, but it must really focus on strengthening the talent around Dak Prescott.
2025 NFL Draft Accomplishments: Jerry Jones apparently didn’t get the memo that his team was devoid of play-making talent outside of CeeDee Lamb. He failed to secure a skill player until the fifth round, and he didn’t draft a single receiver. He even had the top tight end in the draft fall to him at No. 12, but opted for a guard who was expected to be chosen in the 20s.
While Tyler Booker provided no value with the 12th pick, the Cowboys were able to land some terrific bargains on Day 2 to fill some needs on defense. Also, Jaydon Blue, chosen in the fifth round, could emerge as the starting running back, thanks to his game-breaking speed.
There’s no doubt that the Cowboys came away with some talented prospects. However, their inability to address their top needs – namely failing to draft a single receiver – has to downgrade their overall grade.
NFL Draft Individual Grades:
12. Tyler Booker, G, Alabama – MILLEN Grade
And we have our first Millen grade of the draft. The Cowboys had Tyler Warren and Jalon Walker fall into their laps. Matthew Golden was also there. Instead, the Cowboys drafted a guard expected to be drafted in the 20s. Booker is a high-character player, but he was one of the worst-testing players at the combine. His agility was very low, so I don’t know how he’ll be able to pass protect in the NFL.
44. Donovan Ezeiruaku, DE/OLB, Boston College – A+ Grade
I chided the Cowboys for passing on Jalon Walker when he fell to them at No. 12. They made up for it with this pick. Donovan Ezeiruaku easily could have been chosen in the late teens or early 20s without any complaints. He’s a huge steal, and he’ll complement Micah Parsons extremely well as Dallas tries to chase down Jalen Hurts and Jayden Daniels.
76. Shavon Revel, CB, East Carolina – A+ Grade
What a steal! The Cowboys have more than made up for their first-round gaffe. Shavon Revel was getting some first-round buzz, so there’s no reason he should have fallen to the third round. There’s an injury, but not a major one. What a steal for Dallas.
149. Jaydon Blue, RB, Texas – A Grade
The Cowboys finally draft a running back. Jaydon Blue is a speedy threat who could have gone a bit earlier than this. Given the lack of talent at the position, Blue could easily emerge as a starter rather quickly.
152. Shemar James, LB, Florida – B+ Grade
I imagine that this pick is mostly for special teams, but there’s a chance Shemar James can contribute on passing downs. He’s incredibly agile and has some upside, but the issue is that he’s very undersized. I like this selection though, as James will have a role on the team.
204. Ajani Cornelius, OT, Oregon – B Grade
While some would say that Ajani is a tough cat, Ajani Cornelius’ pass protection is ahead of his run blocking. Then again, the Cowboys can’t run the ball anyway. Cornelius definitely has some developmental potential.
217. Jay Toia, NT, UCLA – B+ Grade
Jay Toia was projected to go around this range. He’s a heavy, run-stuffing nose tackle who will be needed against Saquon Barkley.
239. Phil Mafah, RB, Clemson – C+ Grade
The Cowboys get another running back. Perhaps Phil Mafah will hit, but he was seen as a UDFA player. We’re in the middle of the seventh round though.
247. Tommy Akingbesote, DT, Maryland – C Grade
The Cowboys continue to bolster the interior of their defensive line, albeit with a prospect who wasn’t expected to be drafted. It’s worth noting that the Cowboys didn’t draft a single receiver.
Follow me @walterfootball for updates.
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