There's absolutely no way the Dallas Cowboys can be as bad as they were last season. Mostly on the defensive side, they had tons of problems. It was bad enough that Micah Parsons was traded before the season, but Matt Eberflus' defense was atrocious all around.
That's why ESPN is not quite sold on the Cowboys' roster just yet. They were ranked No. 14 in NFL rosters this season. A large part has to do with proving they are far superior on defense. With additions like Caleb Downs, Rashan Gary, Cobie Durant and Jalen Thompson, they look to be instant hits that will help America's Team on Day 1.
ESPN's Mike Clay broke down what he thinks is the weakest part of this team.
"Dallas doesn't have many major problem areas, so an unproven cornerback room is the biggest red flag. This area must be better after the Cowboys finished last in defensive EPA, allowed a 58.4 QBR (29th) and generated only six INTs in 2025."
Cowboys are ranked No. 14 in NFL roster rankings according to ESPN
While they may be No. 14, the Cowboys are ahead of the Jaguars, Bears and Steelers. That's three teams that made the playoffs last season. They also rank ahead of the Bengals and Buccaneers, who also have playoff aspirations this upcoming season.
This shouldn't be too surprising, considering the Cowboys still need to show up on the field instead of on paper. Clay adds that injuries like DaRon Bland's played a factor, and soon-to-be second-year man Shavon Revel had a rough rookie season, but he's already looking to win fans back.
Durant is listed as a starting cornerback, and they need him to act as such. Fourth-round rookie Devin Moore is a tall cornerback who has major potential, but Christian Parker needs to spend time developing him, as he will be a backup to start the season anyway.
OK, that's all the bad. The good is the new "big three" of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens as the best QB-WR trio in the league. Javonte Williams makes the group look like a core four, especially with Williams breaking out of nowhere last season, and now he has visions of making the Pro Bowl.
The X factor? That's Downs, the All-American from Ohio State. Downs is arguably the best player in this draft class, and luckily, the Cowboys got him when the New York Giants had every reason to. He's going to be an undisputed starter and a difference maker this season with aspirations to win Defensive Rookie of the Year.
There are already major differences from last season, and the Cowboys made a slam dunk hire in Parker. He developed Eagles secondary studs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean into some of the best at their respective positions, and he can no doubt pull that off with Downs.
They may be in the middle of the pack, but ESPN isn't wrong here. The Cowboys still have something to prove, even when it looks like a win on paper.
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