Feel it? Feel it? The NFL season begins in just one day, and there’s plenty to be excited about as we prepare for kickoff. For this Four Verts column, we’re going to focus on four storylines to focus on for the season.
Dallas might just get away with it, at least for this season
Once again, the Cowboys were the star of the offseason. They dragged their feet on extending star receiver CeeDee Lamb, but ultimately rewarded him with the market-priced extension he was looking for. With Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons’ contracts reportedly due after the season, the Cowboys’ roster is set for 2024. Now that the dust has settled and the financial hysteria can be quelled for the regular season, the Cowboys can focus on getting back to the playoffs (and winning a game this time). Let’s face it: This is still a pretty good roster that can at least win the NFC East.
Prescott, Lamb and Parsons are an elite trio for the Cowboys to build around. Those three players alone would make them a tough opponent to eliminate in almost any game. Two of the best players at their positions are Lamb and Parsons, while Prescott is coming off a season where he finished second in MVP voting. Outside of them, this team has just enough depth to win a lot of games, especially with the encouraging performance of their starting offensive linemen in the preseason.
If left tackle Tyler Guyton and center Cooper Beebe can get out of the end zone and be just average, this team should once again have one of the best offenses in the league. Third-year pro Tyler Smith and future Hall of Famer Zack Martin are already well-established as two of the best backs in the league. Anything they can get from their starting offensive linemen is just gravy. They’ll need this group to be solid with an unstable running back spot behind them, but the quarterback, offensive line, and CeeDee Lamb will give the Cowboys a formidable offense all on their own.
The defense is an interesting dilemma. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is in town to replace Dan Quinn after he was hired to lead the Commanders, which could be an improvement. Zimmer is known as one of the best defensive coaches in the NFL this century, but he has been out of the league for a few years since his firing from the Vikings. If he still has the juice as a defensive playmaker, Dallas’ defense could actually be a little better than it was a year ago. The return of Trevon Diggs would be a big boost for a defense that already had a solid cornerback like Daron Bland last season.
At least for 2024, things should be fine in Dallas. Where things get choppy is beyond that. Lamb is locked up for the foreseeable future, but Prescott is set to become an unrestricted free agent with a no-tag clause meaning the Cowboys can’t do anything to prevent him from reaching free agency. That’s about to be a sack and a half, but that’s a problem for a later date. For now, the…
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