FRISCO - And the leaks are rolling in!
The Dallas Cowboys completed one of their more disappointing seasons in 2024, thanks to a number of injuries and poor play at key positions.
But it's a new coach and staff in 2025 and after what appears to be a top-tier draft class, the outlook is high among fans and some experts.
At the same time, a deep dive into the Cowboys NFL schedule for 2025 might indicate that another disappointing season could be at hand. ... and Week 1 is going to start things off in the toughest possible way.
The opener? Thursday, Sept. 4 ... Dallas at the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles on the road in Philly. (Mark it down: 7:20 CT on NBC.)
Week 2? Reportedly in the NFC East again, at home against the New York Giants.
And then on Thanksgiving? The Kansas City Chiefs are incoming.
Per Sharp Football Analysis, there are just 10 teams in the NFL with a harder schedule than the Cowboys. That might be surprising considering they finished third in the NFC East at 7-10.
With next year's schedule taken into account, Sharp places the projected Cowboys' win total next season at just 7.5. If all projections in the NFC East are correct, that would mean another third-place finish behind the Philadelphia Eagles with a projected win total of 11.5 and the Washington Commanders, who are projected to win 9.5 games.
Only the New York Giants are projected to win fewer games in the NFC East at 5.5.
But wait. Last year's team was poor and disjointed and hurt. And it won 7.
This team isn't going to be any better than that?
Warren Sharp had more news for Dallas fans, saying just 20 percent of teams with one of the 10 hardest schedules make the playoffs, while 70 percent with the 10 easiest schedules appear in the postseason.
Since the Cowboys own the 11th-hardest schedule, they're not included in the top-10 hardest.
Does that mean fans can avoid being crushed here and that a postseason appearance is in the works in Dallas in 2025?
A first-time head coach in Brian Schottenheimer, an often injured 31-year-old quarterback in Dak Prescott, and a top-11 most-difficult-schedule raises the question.
And so does playing on the road in an opener vs. the Super Bowl champs, with this additional note: In the last 20 years, defending champions playing in the NFL's season-opening game have posted a record of ... 15-5.