The Good

Coming out of Penn State we knew Micah Parsons had all the tools to be successful. What we didn’t know was how good he would be this early on. Parsons has 26.5 sacks in the first two years of his NFL career and is currently the 2023 favorite for Defensive Player of the Year. Parsons has the rare ability to line up all over the defensive backfield causing matchup nightmares for opposing offenses.

Dallas has also solidified the cornerback position by bringing in Stephon Gilmore this offseason. Pairing him with the recently extended Trevon Diggs will give Dallas two lock-down corners going forward. If they can stay healthy the Cowboys should have a top 5 defense next year.

The Bad

The Cowboys had one of the best offensive units under former OC Kellan Moore. That’s why it was a bit perplexing that Dallas decided to let him walk this offseason. Play calling wasn’t the issue for the Cowboys offense, it was more of a combination of shrinking in big games and turnovers. Speaking of turnovers, Dak Prescott had a career-high 15 interceptions in 2022. It’s a cause for concern, so much so that head coach Mike McCarthy vows to run the ball more in 2023. McCarthy will take over the play-calling duties for Dallas and with that comes added pressure. If McCarthy doesn’t make the playoffs he could be out of a job.

The Prediction

When you break down all the factors going into next season it’s hard to see the Dallas Cowboys making a run. The offense will take a step back this year and if Tony Pollard goes down they are in trouble at the running back position. This may end up being McCarthy’s last year in Dallas.

2023 Record: 9-8 (3rd in the Division)

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By: Jake Rajala

The Dallas Cowboys have a greek god-like cornerback in Trevon Diggs – who went from recording three interceptions as a rookie to obtaining 11 interceptions as a sophomore CB (which led him to garner first-team All-Pro honors). Despite PFF not being a big fan of Diggs (as they gave him a 59.6 grade) in 2021, It was clear that he was sincerely a DPOY candidate at the unique CB spot. It’s clear that Jerry Jones will seek to extend his mythical CB in the 2023 off-season.

The Boys will also anticipate magic from Anthony Brown, Jourdan Lewis, and Kelvin Joseph. Brown was a play-maker in 2021 – as he hauled three interceptions (including a pick-six) and had an FF. PFF nicely gave him a 67.7 grade for his 2021 performance. He is set to be a FA in 2023, so he will clearly strive to have a career season in 2022.

In less than surprising fashion, Lewis also got his hands on the ball last season – whereas he ousted three interceptions. The former Boys third-round pick in 2017 also has 7.5 sacks in the prior three seasons combined. His efforts last season were a big reason why Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire pegged him as the third best at his spot. He’s unequivocally one of the biggest x-factors on the Boys defense. The Boys made their draft selection of Kelvin Joseph in the second round of the 2021 draft. Joseph was dubbed as a breakout candidate by Cowboys Wire this off-season. He was also cleared by Dallas police in a fatal shooting. The Boys will certainly need him to shine in 2022, especially with the somewhat uncertain contract situation with Brown.

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Demarcus Lawrence, also known as Tank Lawrence, has been utterly outstanding since returning to the football field in Week 13. Lawrence has two sacks, one forced fumble, a pick-six, and he’s been a wall against the run since Week 13. 

In his most recent showcase, the Cowboys DE got the rare, impressive pick-6 against Washington on Sunday night in a 56-14 thrashing of the Ron Rivera-led squad. Not only has Lawrence been a titan-like figure at the DE position, but his whole defense has been playing like the old Top 5 unit they once were under Rod Marinelli. 

The Dallas Cowboys lead the league in takeaways per game (2.2). The secondary is of course led by Trevon Diggs, who has now tied the team record in interceptions with an astronomical 11 picks. The next closest interception leader is J.C. Jackson with 7 ints. 

We know the Cowboys have Lawrence and DPOY candidate in Diggs at CB, but it’s unheard of with how impressive Micah Parsons has been at LB. The rookie out of Penn State has 13 sacks and three forced fumbles in just his rookie campaign. His performance thus far has garnered him comparisons to the freak talent of Lawrence Taylor. Parsons is clearly the DROY favorite, but it doesn’t appear that he will be the second rookie ever to win DPOY (LT being the other of course). T.J. Watt, Trevon Diggs, and Myles Garrett appear to have a more favorable edge over Parsons in the DPOY race. 

So, how stellar has Dallas been with the trio of Lawrence, Diggs, and Parsons? Well, they’ve been quite impressive over the previous four games. They’ve allowed 14.25 points per game in that span. It’s safe to say that the points per game signature in the past four weeks is more impressive than their 20.5 PPG allowed on the season. The Cowboys are finally sound on each level of their defense. 

The football world knows the Cowboys offense orchestrated by Kellen Moore is firing on all cylinders. Nonetheless, let’s not forget about the Cowboys defense that is heating up at the perfect time.

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