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The Dallas Cowboys have played close to a third of their games, and the roster seems to be on the cusp of rounding into form. After stumbling their way to a 1-2 record following an embarrassing loss to the Chicago Bears, the Cowboys have put together a two-game stretch during which they’ve displayed grit and physicality to bounce back with a 2-2-1 record.
Dallas has certainly had its bumps along the way, dealing with injuries and trying to replace the loss of Micah Parsons on the fly, but overall, the team feels like it’s catching momentum at the right time. The Cowboys displayed utter domination across all three phases of the team in beating the New York Jets, even getting a confidence boost on defense that registered five sacks after having five over the first four games of the season.
Nothing is ever a sure thing in the NFL, but here are five things you can hang your hat on after the first part of the season about the Cowboys that should carry over the rest of the 2025 campaign.
First point: Schotty finding his groove
When Brian Schottenheimer was hired as the Cowboys’ head coach and play-caller, many in the media wondered if Jerry Jones was just looking to be a puppetier instead of pursuing a young hotshot candidate that might push back on his day-to-day antics.
Instead, Schottenheimer’s offense has been Dallas’s strength. According to NFL Pro, it is currently ranked fourth in EPA per play. The last time the Cowboys’ offense was ranked in the top five in EPA per play was in 2023, when they finished fifth in the same category. Coincidentally, Dak Prescott finished the year as a finalist for MVP and helped lead the team to an impressive final stretch of the season, but more on that later.
The strength of the Cowboys’ offense looked like it would fall on their passing attack with Prescott at the helm and CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Jake Ferguson as playmakers. Schottenheimer was famous for letting Russell Wilson “cook” in Seattle with the Seahawks, but he quickly reminded people that the Hawks had one of the better rushing attacks in the league. He’s remained a man of his word. Dallas’ rushing attack is among the top ten in EPA per rush. It has been visually the most effective since the Cowboys had Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott as a dynamic duo in 2022.
Prescott and Schottenheimer have a mindmeld rarely seen with a first-year head coach, but both men have been around each other since 2022, when Schotty first arrived in Dallas. That bond has fostered chants and a serious conversation to be had about the Cowboys quarterback.
Second point: Can’t spell D-A-K without M-V-P
When Dak Prescott left the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium against the Atlanta Falcons last year, it was yet another season for Prescott that would be lost to a season-ending injury. Even before the injury, the offense under Mike McCarthy looked disjointed and in need of an overhaul, leading to a subpar performance from Prescott outside of Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns.
Entering 2025 in his age-32 season, it was fair to wonder what version of Prescott would show up this year. It turns out it’s the version we saw of him at the end of 2023, where he was an MVP finalist. After five games, Prescott isn’t just in MVP contention, but could be the frontrunner.
Among quarterbacks to play 50 percent of the snaps per Pro Football Focus, Prescott has the third-highest overall grade (90.8), third-highest passing grade (88.8), third most big-time throws (13), and has a career high in completion percentage (71.3).
The statistics are nearly identical when comparing Prescott’s current five-game stretch to his performance during Weeks 10-14 in 2023. During that time, there was significant discussion about his MVP prospects, especially since the team went 5-0 in those matchups. The main obstacle hindering Prescott’s MVP chances is that Dallas has an overall record of 2-2-1. Nevertheless, he has been a key factor in securing the two wins and the tie for the Cowboys. His overall value to Dallas has never been higher, which has made him a frontrunner for the award early in the season.
Third point: Riley’s Angels
In years past, when Tyron Smith or Zack Martin went down with an injury, the Cowboys’ offense operating on the same level would be doomed. That doesn’t seem to be the case anymore with back-ups Brock Hoffman, T.J. Bass, and Nate Thomas filling in.
Hoffman has been with Dallas since November 2022, when he was signed to the team’s practice squad and offered a future/reserve contract after the season. Bass came to Dallas in 2023 as an undrafted free agent. Both have been in the same offense for a few years, but this year seems different under new offensive coordinator Klayton Adams, and offensive line coach Conor Riley.
Against the Jets, Hoffman and Bass didn’t allow a single pressure, and as a starter in pass-blocking situations, Bass allowed just one pressure over 75 snaps. Thomas got his fair share of reps in training camp when Tyler Guyton missed an extended time with a knee injury. It was the first time in his young career that he saw action with the first team offense, and it paid off.
In spot duty, he didn’t allow a single pressure against the Green Bay Packers and gave up just three against the Jets’ talented defensive front. A player who not only missed his entire rookie season but came into the league as a seventh-round pick has developed enough that there could be a conversation about him getting more opportunities over a healthy Terence Steele, with whom he was rotating in Week 4 against Green Bay.
There’s optimism that Guyton could come back in the lineup this week, but credit to Riley and the rest of the offensive line staff for getting all nine players who have started along the offensive line on the same page without missing a beat. It feels like Dallas has the best offensive line depth they’ve had in a long time, since the days of Joe Looney, Xavier Su’a-Filo, and Jeremy Parnell.
Fourth point: Javonte Williams CPOY?
Through the first five games of the season, no one on the Cowboys or in the NFL has outperformed expectations more than Javonte Williams. Heading into training camp, there wasn’t much buzz around Williams other than the rave review of Stephen Jones.
Williams was supposedly a top target for the front office to go after in the offseason, and he’s shown why.
The former Denver Bronco is third in rushing yards (447), has 5.7 yards per carry, and is averaging 89.4 yards per game (3rd among running backs). Williams has already surpassed his career high in rushing touchdowns with five, and there are still 12 games remaining.
Schottenheimer has talked about how intelligent he is on and off the field and clearly understands the offense. On the Cowboys video, Sounds from the Sidelines, Schotty went up to Williams and praised him for going out of bounds before halftime against the Jets to make sure the clock didn’t run out. Prescott even called him “a key to the offense” after the Cowboys’ win against the New York Giants. In a short time, Williams has not only proven to be the team’s bell cow but has also grown into a leadership role on offense.
Dallas had questions about the running back position heading into the season, and Williams has quieted those concerns very quickly. On just a one-year deal, it will be interesting to see if the front office is willing to offer Williams a contract extension at the end of the season if he keeps producing at the same pace.
Fifth point: It is what it is
Anyone who’s watched the Cowboys games this season can see that the defense is holding the team back from being 4-1, at the very least. Week 1 was a solid performance after the weather delay, with the defense holding the Philadelphia Eagles to just three points in the second half. Then, the defense surrendered 108 points to opposing offenses for the next three weeks. Russell Wilson, Caleb Williams, and Jordan Love looked like Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady.
The pass rush started to show some life against the Jets, recording five sacks. James Houston has blossomed into the team’s best pass rusher, but they’ve invested three second-round picks in edge rushers that have yet to fill the void left by Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. Surprisingly, defensive tackle has been the strongest position group.
The secondary has certainly struggled the most. Even with Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland on the outside, neither has looked like their former All-Pro selves after five games. Diggs has been battling multiple injuries, and Bland finally returned to the lineup against Green Bay after missing a few weeks with a stress fracture in his left foot. Jerry Jones said there are reinforcements on the way, but trying to rely on players who’ve missed a large chunk of the offseason and start of the season is unrealistic.
Jones mentioned on 105.3 The Fan this week that he wouldn’t rule out making a trade if the right opportunity arises. The defensive side of the ball could use some changes, but if the Cowboys prefer to keep their draft picks and enhance the defense through the draft, they may remain the same for the rest of the year under Matt Eberflus. While there’s still plenty of time to improve, after five weeks, the Dallas defense might be set for the 2025 season.
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