Blue-chip series: Cowboys players who can become stars in 2025

How many Pro Bowlers do you think the Cowboys will have this season?

A few days ago we published the first part of our series on Cowboys ‘blue-chip’ players. Here is a refresher on what constitutes a blue-chip talent. The bare minimum should be an All-Pro level talent. Pro Bowls have become more subjective to the point where the bar to get in has been lowered. All-Pro nominations are harder to come by, considering there is usually one player picked for each position outside of wide receiver, the defensive line, and the secondary.

Outside of being considered a first- or second-team All-Pro, a blue-chip player needs to be someone a team builds around and is a cornerstone player for the franchise. They should also be in the conversation to be the best at their position. Those attributes must be a package deal; you should not have one without the other.

For part two of this series, we will examine which Dallas Cowboys players could become blue-chip players in 2025. The names in this category are just outside the team’s premier talent.

Players below have shown flashes that when they are at their peak, they can be considered one of the top ten players at their positions, but without doing so at a consistent level. If things can become more consistent for them this season, there’s a chance they join CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons, Tyler Smith, and Brandon Aubrey as blue-chip players.

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Players who could become Blue-Chip players in 2025:

Dak Prescott: Coming off his MVP runner-up 2023 season, Dak Prescott was considered a blue-chip player for Dallas. However, after missing another season due to injury, there can’t be the same shoe-in assumption that he gets back to that level without showing he can repeat it on the field.

Pro Football Focus graded Prescott as the second-highest (90.8) quarterback during the 2023 regular season. He finished with 36 passing touchdowns, leading the NFL. He also had 38 big-time throws (a pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window), first among his peers.

During his MVP-level campaign, Prescott just had Lamb on the outside as the alpha of the pass-catching group. Based on surrounding talent alone, there should be enough confidence that Prescott can be that player again with Lamb and Pickens as his outside weapons and a healthy, up-and-coming offensive line. Prescott’s not being considered a blue-chip player is not a slight to him and his decade-long stint in Dallas. It’s just an exclusive group to be a part of.

There are only a handful of blue-chip talents at quarterback around the NFL, like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson. Prescott sits with Justin Herbert, Matthew Stafford, and Jalen Hurts on being just outside the group, but nothing says he can’t get there this season if he’s healthy and the Brian Schottenheimer scheme plays to his strengths.

Osa Odighizuwa: One of the first orders of business this offseason was getting a long-term contract extension done with Osa Odighizuwa, whose goal was to stay in Dallas and keep playing alongside his teammates.

Now one of the more seasoned players in the locker room, Odighizuwa, along with Parsons, leads and mentors the younger players. Sometimes, it takes a bit for defensive tackles to reach their potential (unless you’re Aaron Donald). It took New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence three years to be voted in as a Pro Bowl player at his position. Now, Lawrence is in the conversation as one of the best overall defensive players in the NFL.

It would be great if Odighizuwa got to Lawrence’s level. Still, even if he can be considered a top-five player at his position, that would be a win for Dallas, which could use better play from the interior of their defensive line outside of No. 97.

Tyler Booker: We have seen this storyline play out before. The Cowboys draft a right guard in the first round as a day one starter who starts his career as one of the best at his position. Tyler Booker has big shoes to fill in the absence of Zack Martin, but his story could be the same.

The Cowboys first-round pick was considered one of the best offensive linemen in the draft and is a physical player in pass protection and run blocking. With all the prime time games and matchups against defensive tackles like Lawrence in New York, Jalen Carter in Philadelphia, and Daron Payne in Washington, everyone will know right away how good Booker can be.

There’s a feeling that when the Cowboys play on Sunday Night Football, Cris Collinsworth will be doing his best John Madden impression, circling his jersey in yellow highlighter, calling him an “up-and-coming star” in the NFL.

George Pickens: GP3 is poised for a career year in Dallas, despite being listed as “No. 2” on the depth chart. This is one of those times when numbers can be misleading. Lamb and Pickens have been open about the idea that there is no strict pecking order for each; rather, it’s more of a “1A 1B” approach in Dallas.

Pickens is as talented as it comes to a player at the wide receiver position. The questions around him have never been about what he can contribute on the field. It’s about the character off the field and if he can gel with a locker room.

So far, things have been good for Pickens. His teammates, including Prescott, have praised his transition to Dallas. Sometimes, it can be about the right fit and situation for NFL players. Prescott is by far the best quarterback Pickens has played with in his young career.

PFF gave Pickens a 99.9 receiving grade on deep passes in 2024. That was first among all pass catchers. Under PFF’s metrics, Prescott is tied for third among quarterbacks with a 96.9 deep throw passing grade since 2022. If Pickens and Prescott can get on the same page this offseason and build some rapport, he can elevate this offense to another level.

Entering the final year of his rookie contract, a pot of gold could await the wide receiver at the end of the 2025 season. It could be in Dallas or elsewhere. Either way, if Pickens can elevate his play with Lamb opening up the door for more one-on-one coverage, he could become a blue-chip player a franchise wants to build its offense around.

Part three will examine which players the Cowboys need to be blue-chip players in 2025.