Quarterback: Cowboys
The Dak Prescott vs. Carson Wentz debate was settled long ago, with the former coming out on top.
Prescott is a top-10 quarterback with a better skill set, while Wentz is hovering around league average. This is no longer a discussion, no matter how much anyone tries to make it one this season.
Running Backs: Cowboys
The Commanders have a solid running back duo in Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic. However, the pair of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard trumps them.
Elliott and Pollard combined for 2,834 all-purpose yards and 15 touchdowns compared to just 1,940 combined yards and 14 touchdowns for Gibson and McKissic. Both Elliott and Pollard could arguably start for Washington as well.
Pass-catchers: Cowboys
The CeeDee Lamb vs. Terry McLaurin debate will be a hot topic all season long. But the Cowboys have better depth at this position than the Commanders do.
McLaurin is a solid No. 1 option, but behind him is Curtis Samuel, who isn’t better than Michael Gallup. We’ve yet to see what Jahan Dotson, Washington’s first-round selection, can do. This isn’t even mentioning Dalton Schultz is a better tight end than Logan Thomas as well.
The better pass-catching group out of these two is in North Texas.
Offensive Line: Cowboys
If the Commanders still had Brandon Scherff, the gap between these two teams would be much closer. However, he left, and his replacement, Andrew Norwell, isn’t as good as him.
Wes Schweitzer is a good option at guard, but the Cowboys still have the better offensive line. Having Zack Martin and Tyron Smith on your team goes a long way, even with a rookie left guard and a first-year starter at right tackle.
Defensive Line: Commanders
Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Chase Young and Montez Sweat comprise an excellent Commanders defensive line. Outside of Demarcus Lawrence, Dallas lacks talent anywhere close to the stature of these four.
Neville Gallimore and Osa Odighizuwa have potential, but they’re not yet at a level to compete with Allen and Payne. Washington easily takes this.
Linebackers: Cowboys
As with the Eagles linebackers, Micah Parsons by himself is better than the Commanders’ entire linebacker group. Cole Holcomb is solid, and Jamin Davis can be better, but Parsons is miles clear of both.
Having Leighton Vander Esch doesn’t hurt either, as he’s arguably better than Holcomb. In short, the Cowboys certainly have the better LB group.
Secondary: Cowboys
The Commanders have a good cornerback duo in Kendall Fuller and William Jackson. Kamren Curl is one of the league’s most underrated safeties, too.
On the other side of him is Bobby McCain, who had somewhat of a resurgence in 2021. Dallas has a safety duo of Malik Hooker and Jayron Kearse, both of whom enjoyed a productive 2021 season.
What sways this battle to the Cowboys is their cornerback depth. Outside of Fuller and Jackson, the Commanders lack depth. Behind Trevon Diggs and Anthony Brown are Jourdan Lewis and Kelvin Joseph, both of whom are better depth pieces than what Washington has.
You can go either way with this one, but the Cowboys have more to offer.
