Photo by John Rivera/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Tashard Choice wound up leaving for the NFL… just not for the Dallas Cowboys staff. The Dallas Cowboys coaching staff is just about set and ready to charge in to 2025 and it goes without saying that the construction process of it was interesting. Brian Schottenheimer is leading the team, and with that being the case it has been heavily assumed that there will be a strong focus on the run game. Time will certainly tell if that is truly the case. If we assume this to be true, then whoever is coaching the running backs is obviously of of importance which is why Cowboys fans were tracking that rather closely. Former team running back Tashard Choice was among those who interviewed for the job that ultimately went to Derrick Foster. Choice chose, no pun intended, to return to the University of Texas to coach their running backs which was a logical decision on his part. The Longhorns are a great team to be connected to. Choice’s decision to remain in Austin happened on February 3rd and it appears that something changed over 10 days as it was reported on Thursday that he is leaving for the NFL to join Dan Campbell’s staff with the Detroit Lions. The Detroit #Lions are expected to hire Texas’ Tashard Choice as their new running backs coach, a source tells @CBSSports/@247Sports https://t.co/qOetA1jj8s pic.twitter.com/z9cD0K3Tv1 — Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 13, 2025 Not a great look for the Cowboys that they wouldn’t pay Tashard Choice what he wanted and more than he was making at Texas. Lions obviously were willing. https://t.co/ACXQhNNOyQ — Charean Williams (@NFLCharean) February 13, 2025 It had been reported that Choice would have had to take a pay cut to join the Cowboys given the high-profile nature of his position in Austin. As PFT’s Charean Williams notes, it appears the Cowboys were not willing to do that and that the Lions were. It is also worth mentioning that Choice coached Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs at Georgia Tech. There are dynamics at play with staffs and bringing someone in with a high salary could have complicated matters for the Cowboys, but coaching staffs are not subject to any sort of salary cap and if the team wanted they could wield the power of being the most valuable professional sports franchise on the planet.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Poetic justice. This is not just the name of a song by Super Bowl LIX halftime performer Kendrick Lamar. It is also one way to describe the ending of the 2024 season from the perspective of a Dallas Cowboys fan. The team that reclaimed the NFC East division title over the Cowboys was hardly content with just their fourth straight playoff appearance, taking it all the way to the Super Bowl for the second time in three years, and hoisting the Lombardi trophy by toppling the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22. The Philadelphia Eagles put a stamp on the season by being the absolute best team when it mattered the most, beating another division rival in the Washington Commanders to get there, and leaving the Cowboys’ “all in” effort that saw them on the couch for the entirety of the postseason at 7-10 as something of a new low for America’s Team. The cherry on top is that in a lot of ways, the Eagles won their second ever championship by being great at a lot of things the Cowboys have either prided themselves on in the past (without similar results of course), or are looking to be great at under Brian Schottenheimer, or both. This was the last game for former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore in the same role for the Eagles. He leaves as a Super Bowl champion to pursue his first head coaching gig with the New Orleans Saints, after also interviewing for the Cowboys opening that went to Schottenheimer. Moore’s offense was a masterclass in being simple but executing at an elite level all season and trusting Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and Saquon Barkley to win their individual matchups. This alone doesn’t guarantee the fact the Cowboys missed out on hiring their own homegrown talent as their next head coach, but the overall excellence from Nick Sirianni as head coach, Moore as OC, and Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator that steered the Eagles to a Super Bowl by being prepared between the lines, and playing to this advantage on gamedays, certainly leaves the Cowboys behind in yet another way. Let’s take a look at a few other ways the Eagles beat the Cowboys at their own game to knock off the two-time defending champion Chiefs in New Orleans. Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images Pressure without blitzing The Eagles defense sacked Patrick Mahomes six times and did not allow a play of more than 11 yards until the third quarter with a 34-0 lead already in hand. Kansas City only crossed midfield twice in this game, both in the second half while trailing big. Vic Fangio’s defense did all of this without blitzing a single time, a magnus opus performance for the 66-year old NFL-lifer to get his first Super Bowl ring. The Eagles were able to win the line of scrimmage with just four all night, allowing them to drop into coverage and frustrate the Chiefs passing offense. They intercepted two passes and ran one back for a score to turn a 10-0 game still in question into a 17-0 commanding lead in the blink of an eye. The Cowboys defense was as its best this past season under Mike Zimmer when blitzing, but that overall approach is expected to change under new DC Matt Eberflus. Like Fangio, Eberflus believes in winning with four up front and adding linebackers and safeties to coverage. Dallas may have the personnel to achieve this if they re-sign Osa Odighizuwa and/or Chauncey Golston, edge rusher Carl Lawson, and add to the position group in both free agency and the draft. Even still, it is hard to see almost any defense replicating what the Eagles achieved this season, with their turnaround on that side of the ball going a bit deeper than just executing a strong scheme. Philadelphia absolutely collapsed down the stretch of last season to squander a 10-1 start. One of the biggest culprits among many was a complete lack of cohesion on defense. Calls were not being executed, the front seven was not in sync with the backend, and they gave up a slew of big plays because of it all. Having the mindset to address this failure head on, admit it needed to be fixed, and bring in yet another former head coach as a coordinator to work with Sirianni as the solution is an impressive bit of football operations from GM Howie Roseman. Sirianni allowed both Fangio and Moore to be themselves and teach what they do best. The result was an Eagles defense that picked up more and more of the nuances of Fangio’s unique coverage-based scheme every single week, and by the time the playoffs came around, were ready for the final exam. The Eagles beat Jordan Love, Matt Stafford, Jayden Daniels, and Patrick Mahomes to win the Super Bowl. Fangio also beat the Cowboys twice in the regular season, extending his personal win streak against America’s Team to four games. Fangio was the head coach in Denver for a 30-16 win in Dallas in Week 9 of 2021, then the defensive coordinator for last year’s Miami win 22-20 at home over the Cowboys, and then beat them twice this past season allowing a combined 13 points in two games. There were things to like as a Cowboys fan in Zimmer’s one season as defensive coordinator, but in retrospect with the coach coming out of pro football retirement for just one shot at it, the hire felt more like a courtesy towards a familiar coach for the front office in an effort to pair Mike McCarthy with a strong DC following Dan Quinn. Even having a new DC in Eberflus who shares some philosophies with Fangio is not enough to fully bridge the gap, as the Eagles also drafted well, and gave Fangio tools to work with in ways the Cowboys haven’t proven capable of in the player acquisition process. Dominant Offensive Line Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images On the

Tim Heitman-Imagn Images The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys. Dak Prescott provides first official update on injury, rehab as Cowboys build for 2025 – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com Dallas’ quarterback is ready to get back to work for 2025. A trying 2024 campaign became that much more so when Dak Prescott went down in early November with what turned out to be a season-ending injury. The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback tore his hamstring off of the bone in his attempt to take down the Falcons in Atlanta, and he’s been on the mend ever since. A lot has happened since then, including the Cowboys and Mike McCarthy parting ways and Brian Schottenheimer ushering in his era with an impressive staff surrounding him — he and Prescott looking forward to a revamped offense, and overall team, in Dallas. But first, Prescott has to return to the field and, speaking from the Children’s Cancer Fund event in Dallas in mid-February, he gave his first public update on his status. “What’s it been — 12 weeks or so after surgery now? I’m really looking to amp it up and gather all my confidence,” said the All-Pro quarterback. “We’ll be fine.” It goes without saying this is good news for all involved. It’s a 180-degree turn from the ominous tone that immediately followed the injury. “Didn’t think much of it, to be honest with you,” said Prescott at the time. “And then on the next play — throwing the stop route — pulled something. It was something I’d never felt.” Now preparing to turn up his rehabilitation with the hopes of doing some sort of work when the Cowboys’ offseason program gets underway, neither he nor the team will risk rushing the progress; but it’s also understood the sooner the better for an offense and an offensive playbook that will undergo a complete rebuild in 2025. NFL executive says Cowboys’ Brian Schottenheimer is ‘underrated’ – Randy Gurzi, Sports Illustrated Some people around the league feel Schottenheimer should get more respect. An unnamed NFL executive recently told Jeff Howe of The Athletic that Schottenheimer is an “underrated” coach and praised the vision he has for his team. “He has the ability to be a better head coach than coordinator,” the executive said via Howe. “He’s confident. He has a vision for who he wants to be and how he wants to play, and he’ll be able to communicate that across the team.” We’ll have to wait to see if Schottenheimer is indeed an underrated coach but it’s hard to argue he doesn’t have a vision. Schottenheimer was impressive during his introductory presser and shared his philosophies with conviction. He’s also put together a strong collection of assistants, where his plan to improve the ground game has been the focal point. Now he needs to attack the roster with the same aggressiveness as he aims to prove his anonymous supporter right. Chargers floated as trade destination for Cowboys’ projected $175 million superstar – Jackson Roberts, SportingNews.com It’s the offseason, so outlandish hypotheticals regarding Dallas are being discussed. The Dallas Cowboys and Micah Parsons aren’t publicly acknowledging the possibility of a blockbuster trade, but it’s not entirely off the table. It’s going to cost the Cowboys an arm and a leg to keep Parsons, which will be tough to fit in the payroll after extending Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb for nearly $400 million combined. ESPN’s Ben Solak projected a five-year, $175 million deal for the star edge-rusher in January. The Cowboys are likely to offer something in that ballpark, but there’s no telling for sure if the two sides can come to an agreement. So even if Parsons is much more likely to stay than he is to go, it’s certainly worth considering which teams might have the best shot to land him if the winds change course. One NFL writer recently speculated that he could be headed out west. On Tuesday, Last Word on Sports’ Anthony Palacios named the Los Angeles Chargers as a “possible trade destination” for Parsons in the event he gets moved this offseason. “Khalil Mack doesn’t look like he’ll be coming back and Joey Bosa is a cut candidate. Meanwhile, they have to find a contract that suits Poona Ford after the one season he had last year with the Chargers,” Palacios wrote. But that’s about where the positivity ends. Even if the future of their payroll looks bleak, Cowboys fans will be furious if owner/general manager Jerry Jones doesn’t move mountains to ensure Parsons stays in Dallas. Cowboys roundtable: Coaching staff, Darren Woodson, and draft options in the trenches – BloggingTheBoys.com Some BTB writers share their thoughts on Darren Woodson’s Hall of Fame snubbing. Will Darren Woodson ever get entered into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and what do you make of his denial yet again? Legendary safety and three time Super Bowl winner, Darren Woodson, was again snubbed from entering the Hall of Fame. Frustration among Cowboys fans and media personnel quickly hit to social media to vent their anger. The fact that Woodson is still somehow out of Canton is one of the biggest mysteries in football right now. Howman: I mean, he has to at some point, right? I really don’t understand the hold up to this point. Those 90’s Cowboys teams have so many Hall of Famers already, and rightfully so, but you can’t tell the story of that dynasty without Woodson. So how has he been snubbed this many times? Brian: I honestly don’t know why Darren Woodson hasn’t been voted into the Hall of Fame yet, but I do know it will happen eventually. Hopefully it is sooner rather than later. After all, his credentials speak for themselves and matchup with anyone else who already has a bust in Canton. Tom: It makes no sense to me. It’s the problem with subjective awards. Who knows what the voters are thinking. Jess: Woody was a three-time Super Bowl Champ and three-time First-team All-Pro.

Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images Our writers provide their opinions on the latest Dallas Cowboys news during our weekly review on the Roundtable Every week, we gather the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys and seek our writer’s perspective on each headline. Welcome back to the roundtable. This week we have Tom Ryle, David Howman, Brian Martin, Sean Martin, and Jess Haynie. What do you think of Brian Schottenheimer’s coaching hires so far? There was a lot of apprehension when it came to Jerry Jones hiring Brian Schottenheimer and fans were very vocal on the fact. But what Schottenheimer has put together for his staff is really quite interesting. Matt Erberflus joins the ranks as the teams defensive coordinator, Nick Sorensen replaces John Fassel as special teams coordinator, and just recently the team found their new offensive coordinator in Klayton Adams. The other positional coaches have all been positive and so far have raised the bar and put some optimism in Cowboys fans. On offense, the hires really emphasize a shift to be run-heavy next season, on defense we should expect less stunts and blitzes and more of a shift to becoming a methodical, Tampa-2 defense looking to force mistakes in a bend-don’t-break scheme. Howman: I think he’s hit home run after home run. Matt Eberflus is probably the least exciting hire to me, only because his scheme is a bit too passive compared to Mike Zimmer or even Dan Quinn, but his track record is strong. I’ve loved every single offensive coaching hire, especially Klayton Adams and Conor Riley. Schottenheimer has done the opposite of what most coaches do, which is hire a bunch of his buddies, and instead looked for coaches that bring creativity and outside-the-box thinking. I love it. Brian: On paper I really like the way Brian Schottenheimer has filled out his coaching staff. He has a good mix of veteran NFL coaching experience as well as some highly-regarded coaches from the collegiate ranks. I think it’s going to be really interesting to see how this coaching staff gels together and what kind of changes they make. Tom: Sorry if I’m too predictable, but what has me excited is not seeing any Jerry fingerprints on these hires. It really feels like Schotty is calling the shots – so far. But this is a much better start than I expected. Jess: I agree with my colleagues here. It’s nice to see less nepotism and more creativity in the hires. The assumed run-game focus could be great for Dak Prescott, but will mean making sure the offensive line has what it needs to function consistently. The onus moves to the front office to to give these coaches what they need to succeed. Sean: The hires so far all point to a sense of cohesion in what they’ve talked about wanting to achieve. Already this is a step in the right direction compared to not backing up any of their talk – as incoherent as it was anyway – from last offseason’s disaster. The hires can be as good or bad as anyone thinks though, they give no indication at all to the job Schottenheimer will do at the head of it all, and without that I don’t see many fans buying back in fully anytime soon, even after the slight optimism generated by these hires so far. Will Darren Woodson ever get entered into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and what do you make of his denial yet again? Legendary safety and three time Super Bowl winner, Darren Woodson, was again snubbed from entering the Hall of Fame. Frustration among Cowboys fans and media personnel quickly hit to social media to vent their anger. The fact that Woodson is still somehow out of Canton is one of the biggest mysteries in football right now. Howman: I mean, he has to at some point, right? I really don’t understand the hold up to this point. Those 90’s Cowboys teams have so many Hall of Famers already, and rightfully so, but you can’t tell the story of that dynasty without Woodson. So how has he been snubbed this many times? Brian: I honestly don’t know why Darren Woodson hasn’t been voted into the Hall of Fame yet, but I do know it will happen eventually. Hopefully it is sooner rather than later. After all, his credentials speak for themselves and matchup with anyone else who already has a bust in Canton. Tom: It makes no sense to me. It’s the problem with subjective awards. Who knows what the voters are thinking. Jess: Woody was a three-time Super Bowl Champ and three-time First-team All-Pro. Eric Allen, who’s in the 2025 class, has no rings and only made First-team once. Not saying Allen didn’t deserve to make it, but it’s unfathomable that they’d also deny Woodson. My hope is that they already intend to put Woody in the 2026 class along with Jason Witten as a first-ballot guy, to make it a big Cowboys weekend. Sean: To be honest, most of Woodson’s career with the Cowboys was before my time getting into the team, so I’ve always been fascinated by this conversation when it comes to how adamant fans are about him getting into Canton. I will defer to Jess here, who makes a great point about pairing him with Jason Witten and creating a Cowboys weekend. Sign me up for that. Which is more important to address in this year’s draft, offensive line or defensive line? Both the offensive and defensive line is a huge need for Dallas, thankfully this year’s crop of both defensive tackles and offensive linemen is deep and has plenty of options s available to the new coaching staff. What they decide on prioritizing will begin to unveil itself as they interview players at the combine and who they bring in on private visits which will be reported here on Blogging The Boys. Howman: I’m of the opinion you should draft at least one guy

Photo by CFP/Getty Images Several former Oregon Ducks could interest the Cowboys in the 2025 NFL Draft. Sometimes figuring out who the Dallas Cowboys could target in the offseason to upgrade their roster is as simple as connecting the dots. With the coaching staff filling out under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer, that’s exactly what we’re going to attempt to do today. Junior Adams was recently hired to be the new Dallas Cowboys wide receiver coach, the same position he held recently with the Oregon Ducks. He is highly-regarded for the work he has done developing WRs during his time in Oregon and will hopefully do the same now with the Cowboys. Considering how talented Oregon was last year, and connecting the dots, we can only assume Junior Adams’ familiarity with several former Oregon players could lead the Cowboys to become interested in some of them in the 2025 NFL Draft. In fact, there almost a dozen with draftable grades according to the consensus big board who could be of interest to them. Consensus big board ranking for Oregon’s 2025 draft class OT Josh Conley Jr. (30) DT Derrick Harmon (32) QB Dillon Gabriel (84) WR Tez Johnson (86) EDGE/DL Jordan Burch (89) TE Terrance Ferguson (123) OT Ajani Cornelius (129) LB Jeffrey Bassa (135) DT Jamaree Caldwell (191) RB Jordan James (194) CB Jamar Muhammad (205) As you can see, there are a number former Oregon Ducks who could be of interest to the Cowboys in the 2025 NFL Draft now that Junior Adams has joined Brian Schottenheimer’s coaching staff. While Adam’s probably only worked directly with Tez Johnson as his position coach, he should know the rest of these prospects fairly well as well. A case could be made for just about any one of these prospects for Dallas. Of this group Josh Conley and Derek Harmon are first-round prospects who could be immediate impact players. Tez Johnson, Terrance Ferguson, and Jeffrey Bassa could potentially challenge for starting jobs and nearly everyone else could provide much-needed depth at positions of need. All in all, the Oregon Ducks 2025 draft class could be one the Cowboys keep a close eye on when the 2025 NFL Draft gets underway due to Adams’ familiarity with this group of players. Having that kind of inside knowledge could prove to be invaluable on draft day for the decision-making process in the war room.

Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images The Cowboys have a lot to learn about roster construction from the Eagles. The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl champions. Those are seven words that are never fun to type, but it’s the reality we live in. A team that not too long ago had zero Super Bowl wins, now has two. Oh, bother. What makes the Eagles’ success even more painful is that many people feel their GM Howie Roseman operates exactly opposite to that of Cowboys GM Jerry Jones. The Eagles spend money left and right and the Cowboys do not. The Eagles go after a hot free agent while the Cowboys find a veteran willing to sign for the league minimum. When the Eagles want to re-sign one of their own, they sign them to an extension right away while Dallas waits until an hour before kickoff of the new season. Opposites. It’s rather evident the Eagles are doing a lot of things right. Over the last eight seasons, they’ve only missed the playoffs once, and that was the dreadful 2020 season when they learned that Carson Wentz wasn’t the guy and turned to Jalen Hurts, who at the time was just a rookie. Outside of one transitional season, they’ve been in the mix for the better part of a decade. That’s really good. The Eagles deserve a lot of credit for what they’re doing, but it’s important to understand how they’re doing it. Some of it’s good. Some of it is quite risky. Most people couldn’t care less because when they’re bringing home the hardware, who cares how they get there? Regardless of whether that’s your position, having a strong sense of what they’re doing is important for learning. Some things can be taken from it that are helpful. Other things, maybe not. Let’s lay everything on the table to see what’s going on. They are borrowing This has been a topic that has been discussed quite a bit this year. We all are aware that the Eagles are spending a lot of money. Our own One Cool Customer did a great job breaking down how they are going about it, and it’s important to understand what they are doing. They are relentless spenders – Whatever they need, they go out and get. If there’s an area of the roster where they are deficient, they’ll address it. Whether it’s re-signing their own players or spending money in free agency, they will keep everyone they want to keep. Money is no option. They are pushing money out – The Eagles are given the same budget as everyone else and they’re not pulling off some financial sorcery to sign all of these players. What they’re doing is simple. They’re restructuring money. It’s a common thing in the NFL and everyone does it, but the Eagles have taken it to a whole new level. They have structured so many contracts where the money they’re spending has been pushed off into void years of their contract. It’s the basic “kick the can” principle, only the Eagles are kicking at unprecedented levels. Philadelphia has a cash commitment of $1.1 billion through the 2028 season. The league average is $682 million. We can sit in awe of the Eagle’s approach all we want, but we must also acknowledge that they are making a conscious decision to use an enormous amount of future resources to be great right now. They are investing Spending doesn’t automatically equal winning. Just ask the Cleveland Browns. Philly and Cleveland are the only two teams who have a ginormous amount of their cap hits deferred into void years. Even the Browns overinvesting pales in comparison to the Eagles, but these two teams are far from the pack as no other team in the NFL is over $112 million. But no one is praising the Browns for their roster-building prowess, and that’s because the Browns aren’t winning. It’s not the approach people are enamored by, but rather the results. The Eagles have gotten better results, not just from their inflated spending, but also from how they have invested the money. Free agency – The Eagles made a fantastic signing in Saquon Barkley. Everything lined up perfectly for that situation. Barkley was healthy, the Eagles’ offensive line was fantastic, and Kellen Moore/Jeff Stoutland maximized his talent. That was a home run pick. While the Eagles forked out some cash for that, they also landed an amazing low-cost find of linebacker Zack Baun who had an All-Pro season. Oddly enough, the Eagle’s most expensive free agent signing last offseason was edge rusher Bryce Huff. The Eagles gave him a three-year, $51 million deal, but he’s been a player of no consequence. Nobody is talking about him being a free agent blunder because again, the team is winning. Philadelphia is throwing a bunch of money out there and hoping some of it sticks, and fortunately for them, some of it is. Drafting – This is one of the biggest needle movers. A team that was once drafting first-rounders like Nelson Agholar, Jaelen Reagor, and Andre Dillard is now hitting Day 1 home runs. They’ve built an incredible offensive line presence with the help of two second-round gems in recent drafts, Cam Jurgens and Landon Dickerson. They doubled up at nose tackle in back-to-back drafts with Jordan Davis and game-wrecker Jalen Carter. And they just had a second-round rookie Cooper DeJean take a Patrick Mahomes interception to the house for a pick-six in the Super Bowl. It pains us to say this, but the Eagles are drafting a lot better these days. Trades – The Eagles are wheelers and dealers. In the last three seasons, they have made moves to acquire A.J. Brown, D’Andre Swift, and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. Those guys have been key players for them. Now, they also have made plenty of deals that haven’t amounted to much. Players like Kevin Byard, Kenny Pickett, Jahan Dotson, and Robert Quinn didn’t live up to the high praise

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images Dak Prescott has confidence in the Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys had a rough 2024 campaign. It was an injury-plagued season, and it happened to their top stars like quarterback Dak Prescott, cornerback Trevon Diggs, and edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence, who all had to be shut down for the year. Micah Parsons also missed significant time. It resulted in a 7-10 record and the 12th pick in the NFL draft coming up in April. Things were a lot different for their biggest rival, the Philadelphia Eagles. With the acquisition of running back Saqoun Barkley leading the way to a historic 2,000-yard season, the Eagles ran through the NFL with a 14-3 record that included a sweep of the Cowboys and an NFC East crown. On top of that, the Eagles dominated the Kansas City Chiefs to win their second Super Bowl title in the last eight seasons. The Eagles have also made three Super Bowl appearances over that span. Going back to the aforementioned Prescott, he made some waves on Tuesday. When he was asked where the Cowboys stand in terms of competing with the Eagles, Prescott said that the gap isn’t big at all. Dak Prescott said he believes the Cowboys are “very close” when asked about how they stack up against the Philadelphia Eagles pic.twitter.com/dzZE8qLZdX — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) February 11, 2025 There is some good reason for Prescott’s feelings. During the first nine years of his career, he’s had tremendous success when facing the Eagles. As a starter, Prescott has a record of 9-4 against Philadelphia. There’s something to be said about that because it shows that the Cowboys can compete with the Eagles when it comes to the NFC East. However, when switching gears to the postseason, that’s where the Eagles separate from the Cowboys. Over the last three years, the Eagles have made the playoffs each time. During that span, they have racked up six playoff wins with two trips to the Super Bowl, and they have won a world championship. On the other hand, the Cowboys, while making two playoff appearances over that timeframe, have only produced a playoff record of 1-2, meaning they haven’t even sniffed a conference title game. So, in the grand scheme of things, the Eagles compete on a championship level while the Cowboys are pretty much a one-and-done franchise as far as the postseason goes. It’s nice that Prescott has the confidence that he has in regards to the Eagles, but the Cowboys have a long way to go to be on their level in terms of competing for the ultimate goal. That might change under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer, but until it’s seen, the Cowboys are chasing the Eagles, and they have quite a bit of work to do to catch up.

Photo by Nitschmann/ullstein bild via Getty Images Vegas thinks it’s going to be all uphill for the Cowboys in 2025 The worst teams in the NFC, according to 2026 Super Bowl odds released by the oddsmakers at BetMGM, are, in order: New York Giants (Soo much “yes” to this) New Orleans Saints (No kidding) Carolina Panthers (Yeah, for sure) Dallas Cow … WHAAAT? A mere five days ago, the owner assured me the Cowboys are in “win now” mode, but the oddsmakers seem to see next season as more of a rebuild season than anything else. Eagles are the early favorite to win it all in 2026 Will they go back-to-back? pic.twitter.com/IG8ih3BD91 — BetMGM (@BetMGM) February 10, 2025 There are lots of things that can change between now and the end of the 2025 season, but these odds are a strong indicator that the betting public believes the window for the Cowboys to be a Super Bowl contender is firmly closed, and may be for the foreseeable future. The Cowboys have 22 unrestricted free agents heading into 2025, Stephen Jones regularly goes into a fetal position at the start of free agency and plays “How Soon Is Now” by The Smiths for days on end, their draft record over the last few years is spotty at best, and they continue to “act like a franchise that doesn’t know how to manage the cap.” Where’s the help for this team going to come from? A first-year head coach and some players coming back from injury and staying healthy? That’s it? No wonder the oddsmakers are kicking the Cowboys into the NFL’s trash bin of non-playoff contenders. Of course, the Cowboys could prove all their doubters wrong too. They could add key pieces in free agency, they could draft immediate impact players, they could pry open the salary cap purse strings Stephen is clutching so tightly. They could even pay a running backs coach more than he is making as a college coach – no, sorry, my bad, that’s pushing it too far. Normally, this is the time of year where you put last season in the rearview mirror and where every single one of the 32 NFL teams gets excited about what they’re doing, and every single fan base starts believing that if things work out just the right way, their team will make the playoffs. This is the time of year where hope springs eternal and everybody feels optimistic about the new season, except that’s very hard as a Cowboys fan right now. But then again, last year may not matter as much as we think. Recency bias is the tendency to think that trends and patterns we observe in the recent past will continue in the future. Because it’s easier, our minds are hardwired to use our recent experience as the baseline for what will happen in the future. In many situations, this bias works just fine, especially if you’re making short-term predictions. Even for highly changeable events like the weather (“It was cold today, it’s probably going to be cold tomorrow again”) or the stock market, making short-term predictions according to events in the recent past works fine much of the time. Predicting the long-term future based on what has recently occurred is no more accurate than flipping a coin. We know that in the NFL, an average of about six to seven new teams make it to the playoffs every year. That means only half of each year’s NFL playoff participants make it back to the playoffs the following year. Yet every offseason or pre-season team ranking has last year’s top teams still sitting at the top. Why? Recency bias. Take the BetMGM list. Of the 14 teams with the best odds, 12 are last season’s playoff teams. The only two new teams in the Top 14: the Bengals and 49ers. The two dropouts: Denver and Pittsburgh. But in this case, it’s not the oddmakers with the recency bias, it’s the betting public. The oddsmakers are simply trying to provide odds where the action from the betting public will remain even on both sides of the bet. Yes, there are some constants between the 2024 Cowboys and the 2025 Cowboys. But there are and will be some significant changes, whether we like them or not. Anything can happen in the NFL. Every new NFL season is always also a new chance for teams that fell short of the playoffs the season before. The NFL is intrinsically designed to be a parity-driven league; the draft, revenue sharing, the salary cap, compensatory draft picks, even the schedule; everything about the NFL is designed so that every team from every market has a legitimate opportunity to compete year-in and year-out. Even the 2025 Cowboys, at least on paper. There’s a chance, however remote you feel it is, the Cowboys could end up in the playoffs this year, just as there’s a chance that they could end up behind the Giants in the division. If they do, it has nothing to do with last year’s team, and everything to do with this year’s team. What happened in 2024 stays in 2024. It has no bearing on what has yet to happen in 2025. In the NFL, last year doesn’t matter. Otherwise the Chiefs would be celebrating a threepeat right now.