Are the Dallas Cowboys finally a serious football team? After years of sustained disappointment, Cowboys fans are finally able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Whether it's a mirage or not, only time will tell. But it looks real right now, and folks, Dallas has done what is necessary to put the rest of the NFC on notice.
Nobody is more excited about the revamped Cowboys roster than Dak Prescott, who will return from an injury-shortened 2024 campaign with a huge chip on his shoulder. It has become far too easy to write off the Cowboys in recent years. Prescott's postseason track record is less than ideal. But he has weapons now — the sort of weapons that can take an offense from good to great, especially when there's a new voice elevating the locker room.
Brian Schottenheimer was not the most inspired head coaching hire, but he appears to be connecting with players and bringing a new energy into training camp. The Mike McCarthy era was stale. Schottenheimer and his new offensive playcaller, Klayton Adams, figure to give Prescott more to work with and a much-needed fresh perspective.
Then there's George Pickens, whose arrival takes the Dallas passing attack to a whole new level.
Dak Prescott sounds extremely excited about George Pickens, CeeDee Lamb in WR room
"I'm healthy as I'll be," Prescott told reporters at his football camp in Southlake, Texas, per ESPN. "I'll be full go for camp. I'm healthy. Yeah, I think soon here I'll probably get the official sign off from doc, but I'm healthy."
Prescott's health has failed him in the past, but it's easy to forget that, when he's right, very few NFL quarterbacks can stand up to Prescott's arm strength and accuracy. He's a bonafide MVP candidate and a perennial Pro Bowler when he's healthy and on the right track. That alone should get Cowboys fans hyped up.
Even more encouraging, however, were Prescott's comments about the George Pickens trade and his new supporting cast.
"To be the guy that gets to get (CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens) the ball, it's exciting as hell because you can turn on the OTA tapes and one of the guys, the ball is in the air (for) and (the) other one has got his hand up celebrating already," Prescott said. "We've just got to continue to grow that and continue to make sure that that's trending the right way."
The Cowboys quarterback recently spent time with his skill players at a training retreat in Georgia. He came away sincerely impressed by Pickens' football IQ and personality.
"That knowledge, that involvement, it shows you a guy that loves football and that, to me, deletes a lot of the things you heard in the past about him," Prescott said.
That has to be encouraging for any nervous Cowboys fan — and a shot of straight vinegar for a jaded Steelers fan. Pickens' tendency to create distractions on and off the field made him a toxic asset in Pittsburgh. Now he gets a chance to author a new chapter with a much better team (on paper). After catching passes from the likes of Kenny Pickett and 35-year-old Russell Wilson, you can bet Pickens is excited to reel in darts from Prescott.
It's way too early to say the Cowboys are "back," per se, but the Cowboys are clearly moving in the right direction. Who knows if Jerry Jones can tweak the roster and build the depth necessary to contend meaningfully against the likes of Philadelphia or Washington. But in terms of top-tier talent, the trio of Prescott, Lamb and Pickens can go toe-to-toe with any trio in football. And that should be enough for Cowboys fans to let their optimism shine.
