NFL offseason power rankings: No. 5 Dallas Cowboys are being downgraded again

Dak Prescott was in the MVP conversation for most of last season. (Yahoo Sports/Henry Russell)

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One comment from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones changed the entire perception of his team’s offseason and expectations for the season too.

He said in January, not long after Dallas’ season came to a crashing halt in the playoffs, his Cowboys “will be all-in” during the offseason. He said it repeatedly. Then they weren’t. In reality, it was just Jerry being Jerry. He likes microphones and says odd things at times. He was never going to spend wildly this offseason, not with the team having to figure out contracts for quarterback Dak Prescott, receiver CeeDee Lamb and pass rusher Micah Parsons.

But he said it, and it set an unrealistic expectation that wasn’t met. Really, it served as an excuse for Cowboys doomsayers to freak out again.

The Cowboys have been one of the NFL’s best teams the past few seasons but you’d never know it. Every playoff loss leads to months of Cowboys fans trying to fire or trade everyone. An offseason of inaction wasn’t great, but it also didn’t tear apart a roster that is a fantastic 36-15 the past three seasons. Dallas is treated like a team coming off three straight 5-12 seasons, not a trio of 12-5 seasons. The annual freakout was a focus of last offseason, this offseason and will be the theme of next offseason if Dallas doesn’t make a deep playoff run.

In fairness, the way the Cowboys’ season ended was disheartening. They were defeated 48-32 by the Green Bay Packers on wild-card weekend and it was worse than the final score. Dallas trailed 27-0 in the second…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-07-25 12:13:01

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