The Dallas Cowboys are in for a crucial 2024 NFL season in which a lot is at stake.
But let's shift our perspective to individualism for a second here and look at players that have a lot to prove entering the year to be considered superstars.
Not everyone can be considered a candidate to breakthrough to superstardom so for this list I've picked players that are already on the rise and that have seen significant success on the field while wearing the star.
1. TE Jake Ferguson
You can feel Ferguson is close to breaking out and establishing himself as a Top 5 tight end in the league. So far, he's made it clear he's on the rise and a legit threat, accumulating 761 yards and five touchdowns in 2023. But he wants more.
To be put up there with the best tight ends in the league, like Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, George Kittle, and others, Ferguson will need to become Dak Prescott's favorite target behind wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. He'll have to scratch the 1,000-yard mark or the 10-touchdown mark if he's going to emerge as a true superstar in a position filled with remarkable talent across the league.
He's off to a great start and I'm not sure there's another player on the Cowboys roster that cares more about the team other than him. Just think about him going head to head on Jamal Adams last year.
2. CB DaRon Bland
Bland is now a first-team All-Pro but ask ten random NFL fans on the street who is the best cornerback in the league and chances are no one will say Bland, instead opting for Sauce Gardner, Patrick Surtain, Jalen Ramsey, and other household names.
Bland, who received a single Defensive Player of the Year vote after establishing the record for most pick-sixes in a single season, has proven he's one of the best cornerbacks in the league, setting up traps for quarterbacks through his remarkable off-ball technique.
The Cowboys cornerback will have something to prove in 2024: Excel again and he can graduate to be a known-by-all kind of player among NFL fans. For now though, many are likely to (wrongly) chalk it up to a bit of luck in 2023.
Additionally, Bland would benefit from avoiding a moment like the one he had versus Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks late in the year when he was clearly being targeted by them and was put on blast.
3. LG Tyler Smith
I can't understand how Smith was left off of ESPN's Top 10 interior offensive linemen put together by NFL coaches, execs, and scouts. This is a man who dominated Aaron Donald, Jalen Carter, and other elite defensive tackles in 2023.
Although he was a questionable pick from the Cowboys when they took him in 2022, Smith has proven the doubters wrong in his first two years in the NFL. Last year, he might've been better than Zack Martin was, despite the latter making first-team All-Pro and he settling for second-team.
Another year of dominance should establish him as one of the team's superstars (as much as an offensive guard can be, anyways). Potentially being asked two elevate a rookie on each side of him might help his case, too.
