The expectations are not particularly high for the Dallas Cowboys heading into the 2025 season. The Brian Schottenheimer hire has not fired up the national public and the concerns about the running game and defense have enough analyst and fans spooked when it comes to believing in this team.
They aren’t necessarily wrong, but the Cowboys might be better than what most are anticipating. Coming out of the NFL Draft, their projected win total for most sportsbooks hovered around the 7.5 range, but that has since moved up slightly (to 8 or 8.5) after the George Pickens acquisition. Still, most believe that Dallas will finish third in the NFC East and will be outside of the playoff picture once again.
However, not everyone is convinced that the Cowboys will be mediocre in 2025. In a recent article by Mike Jones of The Athletic, he wrote about the most overrated and underrated teams in the NFL going into the 2025 season.
That list included the Cowboys, who Jones believes are widely underrated going into the new year.
Cowboys viewed as highly underrated team going into 2025
Here is a snippet of why he believes the public is too low on this version of the Cowboys:
"But the healthy return of Dak Prescott could dramatically improve an offense that floundered without him last season. The pairing of George Pickens with holdover CeeDee Lamb, Jalen Tolbert and tight end Jake Ferguson could make it hard for defenses to key on any one weapon — as long as Pickens can carry himself with maturity. A rebound from last year’s 7-10 record and contention with Washington for a playoff spot behind Philadelphia might not be out of the question."
Mike Jones, The Athletic
The addition of Pickens changed all of the angles for the Cowboys, especially on offense. Jake Ferguson and Jalen Tolbert are now in complementary roles and it should open the running game with fewer loaded boxes. Prescott finally has a dynamic No. 2 receiver and the duo of CeeDee Lamb and Pickens should be one of the best in the league.
Read more:Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb ranked among elite WRs after gutting through nasty injury
But the real question is how quickly can Matt Eberflus get his new defense to play at a high level? It’s going to be challenging early on in the season with Trevon Diggs and DeMarvion Overshown expected to miss significant time.
Add in the fact that Dallas lost several key contributors in free agency (Jourdan Lewis, Eric Kendricks, Chauncey Golston) and it’s easy to see why the defense could struggle out of the gate.
Dallas has a very talented roster with high-end stars at the right places (quarterback, wide receiver, pass rusher, cornerback, etc.). But a new coaching staff paired with several injuries could cause this team to get off to a slow start.
Still, expecting them to finish at 7-10 again feels far-fetched, especially if Prescott stays healthy. If he can play 15+ games in 2025, look for the Cowboys to be right back into playoff contention once again.