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The 5 time Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys walk into the 2024-25 NFL season without very much reason to be optimistic. The Cowboys suffered a heartbreaking 48-32 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card round this past season, and didn't do a whole lot during the offseason to improve. Dallas' NFC championship game appearance drought is now approaching 30 years, with the team's last appearance coming way back in 1995. The core of the team remains largely the same, with Dak Prescott once again under center for his 9th season with the Cowboys. However, many key contributors from last season are gone, the most important of which was running back Tony Pollard, who rushed for over 1,000 yards and 6 touchdowns for Dallas this past season. Although the draft supplied Dallas with several possible replacements for those who departed during the offseason, it remains to be seen if the 2024-25 rookie class can make a difference for America's team. Long story short, lots of question marks and uncertanties surround the Cowboys roster heading into the 2024-25 season. Brace yourselves, fellow Cowboys fans: this season could end up being a long one.

The Good

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Good news this offseason for Cowboy fans has been (and continues to be) few and far between.

Arguably the best news this offseason for Cowboys fans was the signing of 9-year NFL Veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks (above) on a 1-year, $3 million deal. Kendricks originally agreed to a deal with the San Francisco 49ers, but backed out and signed with the Cowboys instead. Kendricks recorded 117 tackles and 3.5 assists last season for a lackluster Los Angeles Chargers team that finished the season with a record of 5-12 last year. Kendricks is an undersized yet intelligent and athletic linebacker who excels in pass coverage. Kendrick's primary role with the Cowboys this year will be to elevate the already strong Dallas pass defense by shutting down the passing game in the middle of the field.

The Cowboys also brought back a very familiar face this offseason. Although he has opted to wear 15 instead of the number 21 he wore during his first stint in Dallas, Ezekiel Elliott is once again a Dallas Cowboy. After one season with the New England Patriots, Elliott returned to the team that drafted him on a 1 year deal with a maximum value of $3 million. Although he is no longer the player he once was, Elliott is still a great 3rd down running back with excellent pass blocking. Pass protection is expected to be the majority to Elliott's role with Dallas this season, as the Cowboys offensive line has lost several key pieces this offseason.

Speaking of Offensive linemen, the Cowboys seem to have filled key holes up front as well by drafting two offensive linemen with tremendous upside. The first of which was Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton, whom the Cowboys selected with the 29th overall pick. At 6'8, 328 lbs, Guyton has tremendous physical tools but has lacked technique and discipline at times. However, if Guyton develops the same way Tyler Smith did two years ago, he could very well turn into one of the league's very best offensive tackles. In addition to Guyton, Dallas drafted Kansas State guard Cooper Beebe with the 73rd overall pick. Beebe is a two-time Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year with the skills and versatility to play guard or center. Regardless of where he plays on the line, Beebe has the potential to be a key part of the Cowboys offensive line for a very long time.

The Cowboys also hired former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer as their new defensive coordinator this offseason. Zimmer's experience and no-bs attitude should help elevate an already strong Dallas defense into one of the league's very best units.

Although these additions should help, the returning Cowboys are expected to make the biggest impacts. Although he was heavily criticized for his postseason performance, Dak Prescott was an MVP finalist in 2023, leading the NFL with 36 touchdown passes. Ceedee Lamb is coming off a nearly 1800 yard receiving season where he lead the league with 135 receptions and caught 12 touchdown passes. Former Defensive player of the year finalist Micah Parsons finished 7th in the NFL among all defensive players with 14 sacks. 2021 NFL interceptions leader Trevon Diggs returns from an ACL injury to once again play opposite DaRon Bland. Bland broke the NFL record for most interceptions returned for touchdowns in a season last year with 5 pick-sixes.

Although the Cowboys didn't make the big move this offseason to land a big time player, they still enter 2024 with a solid core of home-grown players and tons of upside from their new additions.

The Bad

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The most significant loss of the offseason for Dallas was losing star running back Tony Pollard. Pollard, who left for the Tennessee Titans in the offseason, left a massive hole at running back that Dallas has not yet filled. The aformentioned Ezekiel Elliott was significantly outperformed by Pollard when they shared the backfield in Dallas, which is why it is hard to expect Elliott will be a suitable replacement in his return to Dallas. Although Rico Dowdle was a solid backup to Pollard this past season, Dowdle didn't display anything that shows he is ready for the responsibility of being RB1 for the Dallas Cowboys. Deuce Vaughn is listed as Dallas' 3rd running back, however the severely undersized back has only rushed for 40 yards his entire career and could very well shift to being a slot reciever this season. The only other running back on the Dallas depth chart is former Los Angeles Rams running back Royce Freeman, who only rushed for 319 yards in 14 games last season. The once powerful Dallas running game enters 2024 as a shell of it's former self, and should be much less productive than it was in previous years.

Another devastating blow was dealt to America's team this offseason when defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was hired as the new head coach of the Washington Commanders. Dallas not only lost one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL, but also center Tyler Biadasz and defensive ends Dorance Armstrong Jr and Dante Fowler, who followed their former defensive coordinator to Washington. Although none of these players were star players by any means, they still contributed to the team and their losses will be felt this season.

The Cowboys also let go of two former key players this offseason. Michael Gallup was released by the Cowboys this offseason mostly due to the fact that his production fell off significantly following his ACL injury in 2022. Nevertheless, Gallup had his moments and overall filled a need at the wide reciever position that Dallas has yet to have properly filled since the departure of Amari Cooper in 2022. Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch was also released by the Cowboys this offseason due to a significant injury that forced him to retire following his release. Vander Esch was a leader on and off the field for the Cowboys as well as a former pro bowler, and his presence will surely be missed by everyone in and around the organization.

Offensive Tackle Tyron Smith also departed Dallas this offseason, signing 1 year, $6.5 million deal with the New York Jets. Although Dallas has done plenty to recover from losing Smith, Smith is still one of the premier offensive linemen in the NFL and is a player no team ever wants to let go of.

Most of Dallas' core is still intact, but many of their key contributors are gone. It remains to be seen how these losses will affect the team, but the Dallas locker room will look very different this fall.

Verdict: How will they perform?

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It's always difficult to predict how a team will do before the season stars. With this 2024-25 Dallas Cowboys, it gets even harder. This is a team with lots of upside, but also lots of potential for things to go terribly wrong. The Cowboys should have a high ceiling, but also a very low floor for themselves this season. The floor for this Cowboys team is somewhere around 7-10, while the ceiling is the 12-5 record Dallas has finished with for the last three seasons.

As for the playoffs, not very much should be expected out of this group. After all, we're talking about the Cowboys here: not much success usually happens in January and February. Nevertheless, a rebuilt offensive line should bring along some optimism, as less pressure should allow Dak Prescott to play with more freedom and thus, make less mistakes like the ones he's become known for.

All in all, it's unlikely that this is the team that takes the Cowboys back to the super bowl. Crazier things have happened, however. Just like every other year, this should be a very interesting and exciting year of Dallas Cowboys football.