Despite not making many super flashy moves, the Cowboys have quietly bolstered one of the NFC’s best rosters this offseason.
While some teams have made splash signings and dominated the headlines of NFL free agency so far, the Dallas Cowboys have opted to fly relatively under the radar.
No, they haven’t been completely quiet but instead have made savvy moves to bolster an already talented roster – with trades for receiver Brandin Cooks and cornerback Stephon Gilmore to complement CeeDee Lamb and Trevon Diggs.
The question, though, is how does the Cowboys’ roster now stack up to the other top teams in the NFC?
For CBS Sports, they believe that the Cowboys have the second best roster in the conference behind the division rival Philadelphia Eagles and just ahead of recent playoff foes, the San Francisco 49ers
“The Cowboys certainly improved an already talented roster, highlighted with the additions of Cooks and Gilmore. Cooks will be paired with CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup, giving Dak Prescott a very good trio of wideouts. Dallas also decided to finally give Tony Pollard the No. 1 running back spot, cutting ties with Ezekiel Elliott to do it.
Dan Quinn’s defense got even better with the acquisition of Gilmore, pairing him opposite of Trevon Diggs to give the Cowboys a strong cornerback duo of their own. Retaining Wilson was also key for the secondary. Don’t forget Micah Parsons is still on that defense.
This season is their best opportunity to reach a conference championship game, no matter if Mike McCarthy is calling plays or not.
” On paper, the Cowboys have a strong argument for the best roster in the NFC. They were a top five unit on both sides of the ball last season, averaging 27.5 points per game while holding opponents to 20.1 points, good for fourth and fifth in the NFL respectively.
With the additions of Gilmore and Cooks, as well as retaining key free agents such as safety Donovan Wilson and linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, the roster looks better heading into next season. Despite losing multiple key defensive starters from a Super Bowl team, CBS Sports credited the Eagles for retaining other key pieces – such as their own cornerback duo of Darius Slay and James Bradberry – as well as calling Jalen Hurts “arguably the best quarterback in the conference.
” As for the 49ers, their roster is loaded at seemingly every position but faces quarterback uncertainty with the departure of Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Purdy dealing with a torn UCL suffered in the NFC championship game.
There’s still plenty of offseason to go, and with the draft in just over a month the Cowboys have time to overtake the Eagles as the best roster in the NFC – a roster they hope will finally get them over the hump in the playoffs.
