The NFL is an ever-changing entity, constantly evolving with each new offensive scheme that is born from the next great offensive mind. It works the same way for the defense, as well. Once a defensive genius figures out how to stop an offense, it causes a new one to be born.
It’s a cycle that never ends, but one thing remains the same: there are certain positions that require top talent, while others can be filled with lesser talent. Five positions in today’s NFL have proven to be catalysts for championships, and not every team can say they have top talent at each of those five positions.
What if I told you that the Dallas Cowboys have a leg up on the competition because of this rare trait? They have top talent at each of the premium positions: quarterback, left tackle, wide receiver, cornerback, and pass rusher.
QB Dak Prescott
Let’s start with the most important position on the field: quarterback. Unless teams have elite defenses that rival the 1985 Chicago Bears or the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, your team must have an above-average quarterback to lead the offense.
Today’s NFL is heavily geared towards offenses scoring in bunches, and it is important to have a leader on the field who can direct the offense in crunch time. You can blame Dak Prescott for the playoff losses all you want, but the truth is that he is a better quarterback than most give him credit for.
How quickly you all forget about how much you loved Tony Romo, and how his playoff losses were defended because his defense was terrible. That’s exactly what has happened to Prescott. He is still a top-10 quarterback in this league, maybe even top-5. He could start for over half the teams in the league, and that tells me the Cowboys are in good shape at that position.
LT Tyler Guyton
If we were rating the positions by level of confidence for the 2025 season, LT Tyler Guyton would be at the bottom of my list. The team was in better shape when Tyron Smith was still here, but he has since been put on injured reserve with the New York Jets.
Guyton was thrown into the fire early on, and he struggled mightily. After he was benched for Chuma Edoga, he was forced back into action after Edoga was injured, and has since played better in a rotation.
Perhaps sitting back and watching a veteran during the game was a good strategy for him to develop. Guyton has top left tackle talent, and I believe that talent can rise quickly to the surface in 2025.
WR CeeDee Lamb
I was disappointed to see that the Cowboys shut down WR CeeDee Lamb for the season before he could suit up and destroy the Philadelphia Eagles like he always does. Lamb was on pace for the most receptions by one player through their first five seasons before being pulled. He will stay 14 receptions behind Michael Thomas for the record.
As much as I would like Lamb to rack up all the records he can, resting his shoulder and focusing on 2025 is the correct decision. Injuries have hurt this team beyond repair this season, and CeeDee Lamb was definitely a bright spot.
Lamb is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, and has proven that he is quarterback-proof. He eclipsed 1,000 yards this season despite mostly catching passes from backup QB Cooper Rush, and with two games left to spare. He is one of the most talented wide receivers in the league, and gives the Cowboys one of the most talented weapons for Prescott to throw to.
CBs Trevon Diggs & DaRon Bland
The Cowboys are more fortunate than most at the cornerback position, and that’s because I didn’t even list slot CB Jourdan Lewis. As talented as this room looked to start 2024, it can look drastically different in 2025.
Trevon Diggs suffered damage to several ligaments in his knee and has been shelved for the season. Reports say it will require major surgery that may include a bone graft, but details are not set in stone just yet. This could mean that Diggs doesn’t play at all in 2025.
Even though Diggs’ contract runs until 2028, the Cowboys have a potential out after 2025 if they feel he cannot return and play to the standards of the contract. That talk really is unnecessary right now, but it needs to be mentioned.
DaRon Bland has become one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL after exploding onto the scene in 2023 to set the record for most interceptions returned for touchdowns in a single season. The Cowboys’ defense truly is blessed to have both of these players on the field at once, even though we’ve only seen it happen for two games.
If I had to guess, I’d say the Cowboys will take that potential out of Diggs’ contract, and invest in Bland for the future. However, even that is up in the air until Micah Parsons’ contract gets completed. Speaking of…
DE Micah Parsons
The last premium position on the roster is pass rusher, and if you don’t know who Micah Parsons is, then you don’t know football at all. Dallas sports one of the most talented pass rushers in the NFL. Micah Parsons is spoken of in the same vein as Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt, and is often considered more talented.
Parsons is a generational player who fell into the Cowboys’ laps by accident. Dallas missed out on cornerbacks Patrick Surtain Jr. and Jaycee Horn in the 2021 NFL Draft, so they settled on an outside linebacker from Penn State University.
Micah has been a revelation for the Cowboys, and will soon demand the most money a defensive player has ever gotten, and fans would be foolish to buy into rumors he may be traded. He is a top-3 pass rusher in this league, and he may not be two or three.