As the 2024 NFL offseason moves along, we have arrived at a deafening lull between OTAs (Organized Team Activities) and the start of training camp.
The Dallas Cowboys won’t report to training camp until July 23rd, and between now and then we can only hope that contract extensions get completed with QB Dak Prescott and WR CeeDee Lamb.
In the meantime, the beat around the NFL is mostly quiet. There is an interview or a podcast here and there where a player reveals something juicy about a former coach or teammate.
Kelly Stafford, wife of Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford said a little too much on the podcast she was in, but hey you got your girl, right Matt?
In this slow time of the offseason, there isn’t much to report that isn’t speculation or conjecture. Yesterday I published an article examining the Cowboys 2024 schedule and selecting their three toughest matchups.
Today, I want to do the opposite and select their three “easiest” matchups. I put that word in quotes because there are no easy matchups in the NFL.
The players and coaches are professionals, and like the 7th-seeded Green Bay Packers showed us back in January, you don’t win games on paper. Any team can come into your house on any given Sunday and make your team look hapless.
Ok, let’s dive into the top three Dallas Cowboys “easiest” matchups of the 2024 season. Just like yesterday’s article, I have excluded division rivals from this exercise.
3. Week 5 @ Pittsburgh Steelers
I don’t think anyone ever thinks about the Steelers as an easy matchup, but that’s how daunting the Cowboys’ 2024 schedule shaped up to be.
The Steelers make this list because even though their tough defense is led by perennial All-Pro T.J. Watt, their offense has a ways to go to catch up.
HC Mike Tomlin just received an extension to remain in Pittsburgh where he will need to make a decision at quarterback between veteran Russell Wilson and young but struggling superstar Justin Fields.
Both were acquired via trade this offseason, Wilson arriving from Denver and Fields shipped over from Chicago after they selected QB Caleb Williams #1 overall.
The Steelers offense is very young, and the battle for QB1 seems like a wash because the weapons surrounding the quarterback are young and inexperienced. WR George Pickens and TE Pat Freiermuth are forces to be reckoned with but they lack consistency.
Pittsburgh also injected youth into the interior of their offensive line with their top two draft picks (OG Troy Fautanu and C Zach Frazier).
All in all, this is one of the “easiest” matchups for the Cowboys because I don’t think the Steelers offense can do enough to keep up with Dak Prescott and the weapons at his disposal.
2. Week 2 vs New Orleans Saints
In this Week 2 home opener, the Cowboys will kick off versus the New Orleans Saints at noon. It’s a rare noon game for the Cowboys and unless they start slow and keep the Saints in the game, there’s no reason to lose this matchup.
The Saints in the Superdome are always a tough matchup, but this game isn’t in New Orleans.
New Orleans has formidable talent on both sides of the ball, but they never know which version of Derek Carr will show up. He has weapons like wide receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed on the outside to go along with the aging Alvin Kamara in the backfield.
Their defense can be stout in the front seven with DE Cameron Jordan up front and linebackers Demario Davis and Pete Werner. The secondary has two blue-chip players in CB Marshon Lattimore and S Tyrann Mathieu.
Dallas should be able to move the ball through the air anyway with CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson. The running game might not quite be there yet in Week 2 but Prescott should be able to carry the team to victory.
1. Week 15 @ Carolina Panthers
The “easiest” game on the Cowboys 2024 schedule is Week 15 at the Carolina Panthers.
Panthers QB Bryce Young will be in his second season as the starter after a lackluster rookie season. Carolina’s front office has done a good job of surrounding him with talent, but it will be up to him to maximize it.
Dallas should have no problem moving the ball on the Panthers defense even though they are rapidly improving under DC Ejiro Evero.
If the game last season in Carolina is any indication, the Dallas defense should feast once again on the sophomore quarterback. Their harassment of him resulted in seven sacks and an interception returned for touchdown by DaRon Bland.
Again, no matchup in the NFL is easy, but if I had to rank the three games the Cowboys are most likely to win outside of divisional games in 2024, these three games would be them.