The Dallas Cowboys made a splashy move to trade for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens this offseason — one that grabbed headlines and has people buzzing about the deal almost one month later.
While the Cowboys may have gotten a shiny new part for their offense, it may have done little to improve their standing in the new look NFC East, where the gap only seems to have widened between Dallas and the top 2 teams — the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders.
Looking up at them are the Cowboys and New York Giants, who may see a slight uptick after going 4-13 in 2024. The Ringer’s Bill Simmons laid out a scenario in which the Cowboys actually finish dead last in the NFC East in 2025 — and it doesn’t seem entirely far fetched.
“So you’re just going into a season knowing you’re number three, and maybe even worse if the Giants are a little bit better right away than people think,” Simmons said on the May 29 episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast” in a conversation with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “So I do not feel good if I’m in Dallas.”
Cowboys Have ‘Brutal’ Schedule in 2025
The Cowboys are coming off a 7-10 season in 2024 after back-to-back 12-5 finishes in 2022 and 2023. While 2024 might be looked at as an anomaly by some because quarterback Dak Prescott missed over half the season with a hamstring issue, the Cowboys return to a much different NFC East than before.
The Eagles are coming off a dominant run that ended with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. They bring back their entire offense and most of their defense. The Commanders and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels went 12-5 and made it to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991.
According to NFL.com, the Cowboys have fifth toughest schedule in the NFL in 2025 with their opponents possessing a .557 winning percentage. All 4 teams from the NFC East were in the Top 10 with the Giants at No. 1 (.574) and Eagles at No. 4 (.561).
BetMGM has the Cowboys over/under total projected at 7.5 wins in 2025.
“Dallas endured a difficult campaign in 2024, winning only seven games and missing the playoffs entirely,” BetMGM’s Nick Hennion wrote on May 16. ” … Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer takes over the head coach post for 2025, with Dallas’ win total dropping by three wins. Before last season, Dallas cleared its win total three years in a row.”
Cowboys Failed to Address Most Pressing Issues
While the Cowboys got a shiny new toy for the offense alongside Prescott and NFL All-Pro CeeDee Lamb, the 2 most pressing issues on the roster from last year remain unchanged.
The first of those is the lack of a new contract for edge rusher Micah Parsons, who is in line to receive the richest contract for a defensive player in NFL history — one that could approach $50 million per year.
The other issue is the Cowboys’ abject lack of talent at running back.
Dallas signed running back Javonte Williams to a 1-year, $3 million free agent contract — he averaged just 3.9 yards per carry last season for the Denver Broncos. They also selected University of Texas running back Jaydon Blue in the fifth round (No. 149 overall) of the 2025 NFL draft, but relying on a rookie doesn’t seem like a viable option.
