close
close

Despite 12-5 record, Dallas Cowboys ‘overlooked’ for NFC East contention

Despite 12-5 record, Dallas Cowboys ‘overlooked’ for NFC East contention

The Cowboys quietly claimed the top spot in the NFC East last season after defeating the late-season Eagles, but with no significant moves during their offseason, few are betting that America’s Team will replicate that success, despite finishing with a 12-5 record over the past three seasons.

On the recent episode of ‘The Herd,’ Colin Cowherd revealed his final NFL playoff predictions for the 2024 season ahead of camp. During the segment, Colin predicted that the Eagles, with the best roster in the division, would take home the NFC East title. Despite last season’s disastrous end, they’re likely to bounce back, even with some uncertainties on the coaching staff.

The analyst speculated that the Washington Commanders would follow Philly into the playoffs, beating the Cowboys in the process. The former Redskins have plugged a lot of holes this offseason, and with a new star rookie QB in Jayden Daniels and a new HC in Dan Quinn, Cowherd firmly believes they can secure the second spot.

However, he did predict that the Cowboys would finish third. They rely heavily on their offense, particularly Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, to carry the load. Because of this, Cowherd thinks they will finish third in the division and miss the playoffs.

“I’m going with Washington; new coach, new OC, new QB, new owner. I think they’ll use that energy and juice to catapult. Washington second. Dallas is a very viable third, but I think they’re top heavy and too dependent on Dak and Lamb to carry the whole offense.”

Upsets are in store in the NFC East, with the 4-13 Commanders determined to turn things around in a year. They’re emerging as unexpected contenders for a postseason spot as they continue to innovate their roster and weed out the dead wood.

Commanders clean up the house and bring in new talent

The Commanders have been a disappointment over the past two decades, never advancing past the divisional round. They’ve missed the playoffs in the past three seasons, finishing two of them with losing records. However, many feel their fortunes are starting to turn around under new owner Josh Harris, as the franchise takes steps in a positive direction.

They’ve cleaned house and brought in new talent, both in players and personnel. Adam Peters is starting to get into the groove. After firing their coach of 4 years, Ron Rivera, he brought in former Cowboys DC Dan Quinn as HC. Since then, there’s been a steady influx of personnel, both in coaching and in the front office.

They hired Kliff Kingsbury as OC, David Blough as assistant QB coach, Andre Coleman as assistant offensive coach, Bobby Engram as WR coach, Bobby Johnson as offensive line coach, Brian Johnson as assistant HC/offensive pass game coordinator, Anthony Lynn as run game coordinator/RB coach, Tavita Pritchard as QB coach, David Raih as TE coach, Darnell Stapleton as assistant O-Line coach, and Shane Toub as offensive quality control coach.

According to The Athletic, as part of their front-office overhaul, they have brought in Lance Newmark as assistant GM and Brandon Sosna as senior vice president of football operations. Their latest addition is former Panther GM Scott Fitterer, who could join as a personnel executive.

On the other hand, the club fired a lot of players and brought in a lot of veterans in their place, such as G Nick Allegretti, QB Marcus Mariota, Center Tyler Biadasz, LB Bobby Wagner, Dorance Armstrong, Austin Ekeler, etc.

The draft also went according to plan, with Jayden Daniels, WR Luke McCaffrey, DL Johnny Newton, OL Brandon Coleman, TE Ben Sinnott, LB Jordan Magee, S Dominique Hampton and DE Javontae Jean-Baptiste all signed. A trade for Brandon Aiyuk is also on the cards.

This is an exciting time to be a Commander fan as the team makes positive moves for the first time in over 20 years.