**Brian Schottenheimer** is one of the most experienced coaches in the league — just not in the top spot. “Schotty” has spent the better part of three decades patrolling NFL sidelines, but his most important years in the eyes of the Cowboys were 2022-24. That’s where he served as **Mike McCarthy**’s understudy. Schottenheimer offers continuity on McCarthy’s program, though that’s not why he got the job. A head-coaching candidate for precisely 1-of-32 teams, Schottenheimer is here to do **Jerry Jones**’ bidding.
**2024 Dallas Cowboys Stats (rank)**
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**Points per game:** 20.6 (21st)
**Total yards per game:** 327.5 (17th)
**Plays per game:** 64.9 (4th)
**Dropbacks per game:** 44 (4th)
**Dropback EPA per play:** -0.07 (29th)
**Rush attempts per game:** 25.2 (24th)
**Rush EPA per play:** -0.13 (26th)
**Will Dak Prescott’s return solve all the Cowboys’ problems?**
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Thankfully for fantasy managers, Jones’ bidding should mostly amount to “featuring his name brand skill players.” That’s a group that now includes May trade acquisition **George Pickens**. The former Steeler provides a badly needed No. 2 receiver, but this remains one of the NFL’s most top-heavy offenses. That does not include at running back, where last year’s unsatisfying two-man committee has yielded to an even less satisfying four-man group.
Simms’ ’25 QB Countdown: ‘Is This It?
Chris Simms explains to Ahmed Fareed why Dak Prescott, Tua Tagovailoa and Trevor Lawrence belong in the "Is This It?" tier of the 2025 QB Countdown.
**Passing Game**
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**QB:** Dak Prescott, Will Grier, Joe Milton
**WR:** CeeDee Lamb, KaVontae Turpin
**WR:** George Pickens, Jonathan Mingo
**WR:** Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks
**TE:** Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker, Brevyn Spann-Ford
Although Pickens’ addition was important, it pales in comparison to the healthy return of **Dak Prescott**. Limited to 12-or-fewer starts for the third time in five years last season, Prescott was struggling for fantasy purposes before going down, clocking in as a mid-range QB2. His efficiency and explosiveness were both drastically curtailed from his MVP runner-up campaign of 2023, but the Cowboys’ lack of a running game and No. 2 receiver were the primary culprits.
Prescott, of course, was not lacking a No. 1 wideout, though the bracket coverage rolled **CeeDee Lamb**’s way seemed to affect everyone’s numbers. Lamb was held below 15 PPR fantasy points in four of Prescott’s eight starts. This, after he averaged 23.8 the year prior. For the season, Lamb’s yards per grab tumbled to an unimpressive career low of 11.8, while his yards per route run fell from an elite 2.78 to 2.27. Although that number remained 13th amongst wideouts, 13th wasn’t what you were signing up for with your first-round pick.
Lamb remains not only a first-rounder for 2025, but a top-five overall pick. If that feels a bit steep after last season’s WR7 overall finish, it is still a sound bet on paper. The Cowboys were the league’s fastest paced offense last season, finishing top five in overall plays even with Prescott missing half the year. They remained in the top half of the league in pass rate over expected. With the cavalry not coming in the backfield and the receiver corps shored up with Pickens, both Lamb’s volume-based floor and “explosives”-based upside are firmly intact.
Which brings us to arguably the most important man in the offense. One of this era’s signature “boom/bust” wideouts, **George Pickens** arrives in Big D on the heels of a disappointing 2024. Saddled with an unimaginative, low-volume passing attack, Pickens struggled for top 40 status in PPR leagues. Fantasy managers understood they were selecting a volatile player, but Pickens’ **Justin Fields**/**Russell Wilson** quarterback setup produced all of three touchdowns and two 100-yard contests. He caught seven total passes in three post-Thanksgiving appearances. Visibly frustrated, Pickens had the looks of a player who didn’t want to return to Pittsburgh.
His wish was the Steelers’ command. In this instance, the pouting worked. Prescott is the best quarterback of Pickens’ career by a country mile, while the Cowboys were desperate for a secondary target opposite Lamb. Although CeeDee is the kind of unquestioned alpha Pickens wasn’t competing for targets with in Pittsburgh, Lamb’s presence is good news for his new teammate in this uptempo, high-volume offense. Opposing defenses’ fear of Lamb is going to create single-coverage opportunities for Pickens. Three catches for 20 scoreless yards will still be on the weekly menu, but five grabs for a buck 20 and a score will be far more achievable than it was last year. Pickens is a high-upside WR3.
Beyond Lamb and Pickens is some of the league’s most questionable pass-catching depth. **Jake Ferugson** is the closest thing to a No. 3 weapon. A fantasy bust last season, Ferguson was also a bit unlucky. His 59 catches in only 14 games ranked 12th amongst seam stretchers. The big problem was his literal lack of touchdowns, with the scoring doughnut relegating him to a TE21 finish by average PPR points. Ferguson barely cracked the top 24 if you include injured players. His TE17 ADP is maybe a bit on the pessimistic side — a healthy Prescott and lack of target competition should keep him on the TE1/2 borderline — but summer best ball drafters are understandably focused on higher-upside options. Ideally, Ferguson is a TE2 you can pair with a more explosive running mate.
Behind Ferugson are holdover depth pieces **Jalen Tolbert** and TE **Luke Schoonmaker**, as well as gadget man **KaVontae Turpin**. Special teams extraordinaire Turpin is always rumored for a bigger role, but he is 28 with 44 career catches. The Cowboys also now have Pickens to compete for explosive looks. Tolbert, meanwhile, is 26 with 73 career grabs, 49 of which came under last year’s emergency conditions. At best, he will emerge as a mid-season WR4/5 due to injuries elsewhere in the Cowboys’ skill corps. Although already going on 27, Schoonmaker is an interesting end-of-bench stash in dynasty leagues. He just has no plausible path to 2025 compiling absent a Fergsuon injury.
**Running Game**
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**RB:** Javonte Williams, Jaydon Blue, Miles Sanders, Phil Mafah
**OL (L-R):** Tyler Guyton, Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe, Tyler Booker, Terence Steele
They said it couldn’t be done. They said there was no way the Cowboys could come up with a more unsettled running back depth chart than 2024. “They” could not have been more wrong. Settled in for the summer’s least intriguing backfield battle royale are veterans **Javonte Williams** and **Miles Sanders** and rookies **Jaydon Blue** and **Phil Mafah**.
Williams is probably the closest thing to a default No. 1, though he has averaged 3.6 yards per tote on 356 carries since returning from his devastating 2022 knee injury. He’s managed an even more anemic 5.8 yards per reception on 99 grabs during the same timespan. These are not small sample sizes, and the advanced stats had him bottom three in average rush yards over expected last season. Williams does claim he is only now back to full health, while his three-down experience creates multiple avenues to earn work. Williams is not an inspiring later-round flier, but he is the safest bet of this sorry group.
Fifth-rounder Blue probably offers the most 2025 upside. The Texas product boasts track speed (4.38) and soft hands. He was a home run hitter in the Big 12/SEC. The problem is, he is undersized at 5-foot-9, 196 pounds, and he did not play bigger than those measurables for the Longhorns. In a backfield that seems destined to remain a multi-man committee, Blue’s floor will rely on volatile big plays, while the ceiling just isn’t there due to touch count concerns.
Journeyman veteran Sanders is probably a more explosive option than Williams, but whereas Javonte at least does the “little things” right, Sanders’ career staple has been getting them wrong. That means it is hard to see him being featured on more important downs, especially inside the 20. Sanders has only 27 total touchdowns across 84 career contests, and his pass catching has fallen off a cliff the past three years. A best-case scenario is emerging as a desperation waiver wire add in the second half of the season.
Seventh-rounder Mafah is worthy of a “dark horse” label on early downs behind Williams, but his lack of efficiency and explosiveness in the ACC doesn’t portend NFL greatness. His road to work will begin with getting what’s blocked in training camp as his underwhelming competition presumably underwhelms. He can be ignored outside of deeper dynasty leagues in summer drafts.
**2025 Dallas Cowboys Win Total**
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Although only a year removed from three straight 12-5 campaigns, the Cowboys aren’t getting much respect from the summer books, with their over/under typically sitting at 7.5. Perhaps the books are hoping “the fish” can’t wait to bet the over on America’s Team, but it is an admittedly tempting proposition. This is a star-laden squad with an easy early-season schedule (@PHI, vs. NYG, @CHI, vs. GB, @NYJ, @CAR). A momentum-building start is possible. But boy do they need a lot to go right, more than is typical for an NFL team. If the Cowboys are one of the league’s healthiest squads, they will probably breeze by the over. If not — which is always a safer bet — the under beckons. I am most comfortable hitting “U.”