The best of the Dallas Cowboys offense could be yet to come in 2025. Dak Prescott is entering his 10th season as the starting quarterback, and his last full season (2023) was arguably his best after he was voted second in the NFL MVP award, just behind Lamar Jackson.
With CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens set to help out Prescott, this offense could take even higher strides than in 2023.
On his YouTube channel, Cowboys legend Michael Irvin says that Prescott and the offense are going to have to play hero ball a ton this season. The run defense faces valid concerns, especially when they face a gauntlet of some of the best offensive lines in the NFL.
"You're going to have to put up 35 points a game and keep teams from being able to run the ball. That's the number one thing we went into this camp saying we were going to work on. Two things, running the ball and stopping the run, and neither one of those in the first two weeks have you seen any glimpse of," Irvin said.
Cowboys' run defense woes could force Dak Prescott to have to do too much
Simply put, the Cowboys' run defense hasn't been able to make any noise in the first two weeks of the preseason. Andrew Booth leading the team in tackles against Baltimore isn't a great sight to see. Secondary players leading the team in tackling usually mean that the defensive line is getting pushed back.
Irvin's prediction means the 2025 offense would have to surpass the 2023 offense of the water. The 2023 offense averaged the most points in the NFL with 29.9. Averaging 35 would take a monumental effort, and with major questions still at the running back position, it's almost too much to ask Prescott to put the offense on his back.
There have been calls to ship off Mazi Smith in favor of seventh-round pick Jay Toia, but at this point, Toia hasn't stood out to show that he's much better than Smith, making Smith's spot on the team safe for now. The other guys on the line - like Marshawn Kneeland, Osa Odighizuwa and hopefully Micah Parsons - will be the ones who will make the difference on the defensive line.
If Cowboys fans' worst nightmare comes true and Parsons is traded the defense will have loads of problems to solve. Parsons is a game-changer who comes only once in a generation, and Dallas will have a lot more problems on their hands than just stopping the run.
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