The Dallas Cowboys were back in full force with the rest of the NFL this weekend. After not seeing any starters play in the preseason some were anxious about potential rust on a team that ended 2023 on a bad playoff loss. Those doubts were put to rest early in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns as Dallas cruised to an easy 33-17 win.
The day began with a bang thanks to Dak Prescott's new contract announcement before kickoff. Everything played out just like the Cowboys hoped as the team played well in all three aspects of the game.
While there were plenty of individual winners from the showdown with the Browns, some players did walk away not looking like the best.
Biggest winners and losers from Cowboys' Week 1 win over the Browns
Cowboys loser: WR Jalen Tolbert
While Prescott and the offense had a solid showing, most of the touches went to players the team always relied on last season, or in the case with Ezekiel Elliott, players of yesteryear. One who did not have a great game, though, was Jalen Tolbert.
Third on the wide receiver depth chart, Tolbert is expected to take the next step this season, but his performance against Cleveland did nothing to give fans hope that he can be a key contributor this season.
The hope that Tolbert can be a solid weapon in the passing game considers that Brandin Cooks will turn 31 later this month and is on the last year of his contract. Also the offense cannot just center around CeeDee Lamb like last year. Tolbert had one catch for 12 yards on two targets on Sunday. He also had a blatant holding penalty that derailed Dallas' opening drive.
It is only one game and the first that the Cowboys have played since the playoff loss, so fans should not take too much stock into Tolbert's disappearing act in week one. However, the offense will need more help in the passing game. This is especially true with Jake Ferguson's injury he suffered in the win.
While Ferguson is considered week-to-week with an MCL sprain, he was Dallas' second-leading receiver last year behind Lamb. With high expectations for this offense, Prescott needs more help from guys like Tolbert to go farther in January.
Cowboys loser: DT Mazi Smith
It wasn't overly surprising that Mazi Smith blended into the background on Sunday. He played 23 snaps against the Browns and did not register anything on the stat sheet. Osa Odighizuwa played well as usual and the newly-acquired Jordan Phillips had a quarterback hit on Deshaun Watson.
While most of the defensive line wreaked havoc against a depleted Browns offensive line, Smith's impact was minimal at best. The season is still young and there is plenty for Dallas to improve on, but Smith has to be feeling the pressure to perform better after two DTs were signed during training camp.
Cowboys winner: QB Dak Prescott
On Sunday Precott won on and off the field. Just a few hours before kickoff, reports surfaced Prescott agreed to a four-year, $240 million extension. With Prescott's signature on the dotted line, he will be a Cowboy for the next several years. He capped off his new financial success with a solid outing against the league's best defense.
Prescott passed for 179 yards and threw one touchdown to Brandin Cooks on the Cowboys' second drive. While his QB rating of 85.3 is not eye-catching, Prescott had elite command of the offense and kept Dallas in control from start to finish. He did miss some throws, including a near interception, but overall he played well considering the defense forced two turnovers and Kavontae Turpin returned a punt for a touchdown for the first time in his career.
When the rest of the team plays well around the quarterback, it makes his day a lot easier. There were too many instances last season where Prescott was asked to carry the team.
Cowboys winner: CB Caelen Carson
Caelen Carson had a rookie debut most fans were hoping for. With DaRon Bland out for the first several weeks of the season, the time is now for Carson to step up. He did that in Week 1 with four tackles and two passes defended. One could have easily turned into an interception.
What really stands out about Carson's performance is how he held his own against former Cowboy receiver Amari Cooper. He held him to only two catches for 16 yards as the Browns' offense struggled to get anything going in the passing game. With a game one performance like that, Carson can only get better as the season goes.
Cowboys winner: LB DeMarvion Overshown
DeMarvion Overshown is back and he was a one-man wrecking crew on Sunday. Making his return after tearing his ACL last preseason, Cowboys fans were excited to see what Overshown would do in his first real game with Dallas. Little did they know he would be the best defender on the field.
A third-round pick out of Texas last year, Overshown was the Cowboys' highest-graded player (88.6), per Pro Football Focus. He posted 11 tackles, two pressures, one sack, six defensive stops and a 81.6 coverage grade. He was PFF's second-highest-graded linebacker pre-Monday Night Football.
Overshown looks like a perfect fit with Mike Zimmer, who used the former Longhorn as a spy on Deshaun Watson. With Leighton Vander Esch gone, Dallas is looking to rebuild their linebacking corp almost from the ground up. Getting Eric Kendricks this offseason helped, but Overshown might emerge as team's best linebacker by the end of the season.
