Week 1 for the Dallas Cowboys is a little over a week away, and there’s no easing into it.
The Cowboys open the season on the road against a loaded Philadelphia Eagles team, who have the third-best Super Bowl odds entering 2025 (+700). The Eagles bring physicality, experience, and the most devastating rushing attack in the league. They are tailor-made to exploit all of the Cowboys’ weaknesses.
Dallas could be good. They might also be a dumpster fire. Week 1 will be a good litmus test for where they are now and what can be expected from them this season.
Here are four things to watch that will shape how this season starts. And maybe how it ends.
Dallas Cowboys Week 1: Four Big Questions Heading Into The Opener
micah parsons
Nov 10, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) rushes the passer in the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
Will Micah Parsons Be On The Field Week 1?
This is the biggest question mark heading into the regular season. Would Micah Parsons actually sit out regular-season games? Given the contractual leverage that Jerry Jones and the Cowboys hold, it seems unlikely. But Parsons feels disrespected, and by all accounts, contract talks have gone nowhere since his trade request.
Jerry seems content to let Parsons play on the final year of his rookie deal. And for 2025 to count as an accrued season, Parsons has to be on full-play status for at least six games. Does he milk his back injury to avoid this collectively bargained loophole? That opens up a whole other can of worms that would complicate things quite a bit.
Realistically, he’ll probably play. The real question is: what version of Micah are you getting?
Parsons has attended meetings, walkthroughs, and all three preseason games. But he hasn’t practiced all offseason, let alone taken a preseason snap. If he plays, there’s no way he steps on the field against Philadelphia as the best version of himself. His game conditioning won’t be where it needs to be, and he’ll almost certainly be on a pitch count. Will he move around the formation, or be used exclusively as a pass rusher to manage his workload?
Whatever the plan, Parsons is the anchor of the defense. He tilts protections, collapses pockets, and makes quarterbacks uncomfortable. Without him, or a diminished version, the entire floor of the defense drops.
Can The Cowboys Hold Up Defensively?
Dallas Cowboys defensive line
Sep 8, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) celebrates with defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa (97) after a sack during the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Parsons or not, the Cowboys’ defense faces massive questions heading into Week 1, and the most glaring one is the run defense. Dallas was one of the league’s worst run-stopping teams in 2024, and they did nothing meaningful to address it this offseason. The preseason hasn’t offered much hope either.
That’s a big problem when you’re about to face what might be the best rushing offense in football. The Eagles boast an elite offensive line, a dynamic and powerful runner at quarterback in Jalen Hurts, and arguably the best running back in football in Saquon Barkley. Dallas’ defense is soft in the middle, which forces second and third-level defenders to make too many tackles. Hurts and Barkley in space against a defensive back is not a fair fight.
Put simply, this is a terrifying Week 1 matchup for the Cowboys.
The secondary isn’t much better off.
Trevon Diggs won’t start the year on the PUP list, but he won’t be available in Week 1. Rookie Shavon Revel Jr. is still recovering from a knee injury and will also miss the opener. That leaves Daron Bland as Dallas’ most reliable corner, and a whole bunch of question marks behind him.
Stetson Bennett, Cooper Rush, and Easton Stick all found wide-open receivers during the preseason. That doesn’t bode well, considering many of the players who gave up those throws will be on the field against A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Even if the front seven manages to contain the run, the secondary will be under siege.
Whether Parsons plays or not, the defense is walking into a buzzsaw. If the defense is going to look tougher and more disciplined than it did in August, they’re going to have to prove it in real time against a team tailor-made to exploit them.
Will Brian Schottenheimer Stick To His Desired Offensive Identity?
The Cowboys have spent the offseason insisting that the run game will be their offensive identity. Brian Schottenheimer has said it repeatedly. The team has echoed it in interviews. Heck, offensive coordinator Klayton Adams was an offensive line coach. But the current state of the roster doesn’t support that vision, and neither has anything we’ve seen on the field so far.
Dallas’ interior offensive line projects to be solid, but question marks at both tackle spots lower this unit’s ceiling. The trio of Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe, and rookie Tyler Booker on the inside should give Prescott some comfort. But a left tackle coming off a broken leg and a right tackle two years removed from ACL surgery might cause some panic.
brian schottenheimer
Jun 10, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer addresses the media before practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility in Frisco, Texas. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images
Personnel in the backfield don’t make the picture much clearer. Javonte Williams hasn’t taken a preseason snap, and it looks like he’s going to be the starter. Jaydon Blue is intriguing, but he’s a rookie who saw limited action in the preseason due to injury. Beyond those two, it’s murky. We’ll see who makes the final 53.
That leaves serious questions heading into a Week 1 matchup with one of the best defensive teams in football. In 2024, the Eagles gave up the fewest total yards and the fewest yards per play of any team. They also allowed the second-fewest points. They’re big, physical, and they hate the Cowboys. Will Dallas commit to the run even if it’s not working early, or will Schottenheimer pivot to a more pass-heavy approach? We’ll find out next Thursday.
The Cowboys say they want to run the ball. Week 1 is when we find out if they actually can.
What Will Dak Prescott Look Like In His Return?
Dak Prescott hasn’t taken a single preseason snap. No “knock the rust off” for even a drive or two. When he takes the field Week 1 at Philadelphia, it’ll be the first time he’s led the offense since Week 9 of last year. For a quarterback coming off a second season-ending injury, this is a significant return.
How will his timing look? Is the chemistry we’ve seen with Pickens so far going to translate in a real game? Will he look comfortable in the pocket, or will he get happy feet at the first hint of pressure?
On paper, the pieces around him are strong. CeeDee Lamb is one of the best pass-catchers in the league, and the addition of George Pickens gives him a physical, vertical element the Cowboys have been missing. Jake Ferguson will also be looking to bounce back from a frustrating 2024 that was hampered by injuries and ended without a single touchdown catch.
Everything this coaching staff wants to do hinges on Dak being sharp, decisive, and in control. But there’s no grace period. Not against this Eagles front, and not in this kind of environment. The run game has plenty of questions, but Prescott has proven that if he’s healthy, he can lead an elite offense and put up numbers.
Like most Dallas seasons, this one will rise and fall with No. 4. Expect 2025 to be a bounce-back year, but that road starts in Philadelphia.
We’ll See If Dallas Comes to Play
The Cowboys say they’re ready. That this team is tougher and more physical. But as Week 1 approaches, the questions are louder than the answers. From Micah Parsons’ availability to the run defense, from offensive identity to Dak Prescott’s return. So much is unsettled.
Philadelphia won’t wait for Dallas to figure it out. The Eagles will punch first. And hard. What we learn next Thursday will say a lot about where this team is, and where it’s headed in 2025.
Main Photo: [Brett Davis] – Imagn Images