Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images The Dallas Cowboys are fighting history in terms of repeating as NFC East Champions. Usually I say that it doesn’t mean anything, but I don’t know if I can say that I really believe that. To be clear I am not saying that it means a lot, but we are talking about 20 years here. 20 years of anything is not nothing by any stretch of the definition of it all. Just think about how much life happens in 20 years. You can’t dismiss it. What am I talking about, you ask? With the NFL season finally here (sweet potato pie that felt good to say out loud) our ambitions are as tall as ever with the Dallas Cowboys, even if the offseason that got us here was underwhelming. The goal, as it has been for almost 30 years now (even more time than 20), is for them to at long last add a sixth Lombardi Trophy at the entrance of The Star in Frisco. If history is any indicator, we will wind up disappointed. While we are talking about history, it is worth mentioning that it is a stream the Cowboys will have to swim against with regards to one of their more immediate goals. You do not have to win your division to enter the playoffs as we all know, but doing so would be wise for the Cowboys seeing as their last road win in the postseason before the one in Tampa two years ago was literally the 1992 NFC Championship Game. Winning the division guarantees a home game, and even though that did not help at all last year, anybody affiliated with any team will tell you that is step number one. It is a big step for the Cowboys. The NFC East has not had a repeat winner since 2004 Up top was a reference to something that we refer to around this time of year – the fact that the NFC East has not had a repeat division champion since 2004. NFC East Champions, 2004-Present 2004: Philadelphia Eagles 2005: New York Giants 2006: Philadelphia Eagles 2007: Dallas Cowboys 2008: New York Giants 2009: Dallas Cowboys 2010: Philadelphia Eagles 2011: New York Giants 2012: Washington franchise 2013: Philadelphia Eagles 2014: Dallas Cowboys 2015: Washington franchise 2016: Dallas Cowboys 2017: Philadelphia Eagles 2018: Dallas Cowboys 2019: Philadelphia Eagles 2020: Washington Football Team 2021: Dallas Cowboys 2022: Philadelphia Eagles 2023: Dallas Cowboys There are two Super Bowl Champions (the 2007 Giants were a Wild Card team) and plenty of number one seeds sprinkled within that group. Additionally there is a below .500 team that Washington trotted out in 2020 (nobody bothers to bring that up when talking about the Buccaneers’ playoff wins through the Super Bowl that year, but hey, facts and whatever). Needles to say the NFC East has seen basically everything for two decades now. Except a repeat champion. This brings us back to the point up top. Do I believe that the 2005 Giants have anything to do with the 2024 Cowboys? Are the 2010 Eagles in any way tied to the 2024 Commanders? Obviously the answers here are no, but how can we say that this means nothing when it has been 20 years? At most this is all a continued run of weird coincidences impacted by a variety of things that fill every NFL season and we shouldn’t overreact to it in any sort of serious way, but again, it is a strange thing and makes betting on the Cowboys to win the division this year (even if the offseason hadn’t been frustrating) feel a bit scary. On the subject of betting, the Cowboys are not favored to win it at season’s beginning: Odds to win the NFC East at Week 1, according to FanDuel Sportsbook: Philadelphia Eagles…………………………… -140 Dallas Cowboys……………………………….. +175 Washington Commanders……………….. +1100 New York Giants………………………………. +1600 Just because the odds are what they are does not mean that this is impossible by any stretch, but it again adds to the this-doesn’t-feel-all-too-likely-ness of it all. Consider that Dallas is tied for the fourth-best odds to win the NFC and lead the Atlanta Falcons in this regard despite the Falcons being the favorites to win the NFC South, a testament to what we can expect from that division. Odds to win the NFC at Week 1, according to FanDuel Sportsbook: San Francisco 49ers………………………….. +260 Detroit Lions…………………………………….. +500 Philadelphia Eagles……………………………. +600 Green Bay Packers…………………………….. +900 Dallas Cowboys………………………………… +900 Atlanta Falcons………………………………… +1200 For what it is worth, the Green Bay Packers are also second in odds to win their division. Maybe that makes you feel better about last year’s Wild Card playoff loss, but I would bet just about everything in the world that it does not. Do you think the Cowboys will win the NFC East in 2024? Or the NFC? Now is the time to put it on record before everything starts for real.

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images There are still some improvements the Cowboys could look to make to their defensive line. The Dallas Cowboys added edge rusher Marshawn Kneeland in the NFL draft. After having an excellent training camp and preseason, Kneeland will be the first sub behind DeMarcus Lawrence and All-Pro Micah Parsons. The Cowboys did bring in veteran Carl Lawson, who they initially cut but brought back to the practice squad. However, Dallas could still use some more juice coming off the edge. When looking at the free agent market, there’s an intriguing name that the Cowboys should consider at edge rusher, and that’s Yannick Ngakoue. A former third-round pick in 2016, Ngakoue spent four years with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He hit his peak in 2017 when he was named to the Pro Bowl after amassing 12 sacks and leading the NFL with six forced fumbles. After demanding a trade, Ngakoue was sent to the Minnesota Vikings in August of 2020. Two months later, he was traded to the Baltimore Ravens. Ngakoue would play in 15 games between the two teams and record eight sacks. Ngakoue spent the 2021 campaign with the Las Vegas Raiders and produced 10 sacks and started all 17 games. A year later, with the Indianapolis Colts, Ngakoue put up 9.5 more sacks in 15 games. In 2023, Ngakoue was with the Chicago Bears, where he started 13 games and racked up four sacks before suffering a broken ankle. So, despite the recent bouncing around the league, Ngakoue still has what it takes to be a valuable piece to a rotation as he goes into his ninth year. Although he’s not a great run defender, Ngakoue can still get after the quarterback. Last season was the first when he didn’t record at least eight sacks. If the Cowboys brought him in, he could fill the role that Dante Fowler had in Dallas the previous two seasons where he played a little over 300 snaps per year on average had 10 total sacks. No team can have enough pass rushers in today’s NFL. Ngakoue is just the type of player that organizations would like to be available with the season approaching, and it would behoove the Cowboys to at least pick up the phone.