The Dallas Cowboys have already shown they have one of the best offenses in the NFL when quarterback Dak Prescott and other stars are healthy.
Estes is a team review for the 2021 season that begins Thursday, September 9 with the Dallas team visiting reigning NFL champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
New faces: Micah Parsons, Keanu Neal. Osa Odighizuwa Damontae Kazee, Kelvin Joseph, Nahshon Wright, Carlos Watkins, Jayron Kearse, and Brett Urban.
Key outputs: Andy Dalton, Chidobe Awuzie, Xavier Woods, Sean Lee, Tyrone Crawford, Joe Looney, Aldon Smith.
Strengths: The offense, when healthy, has already shown it can be among the best in the NFL with quarterback Dak Prescott, who just signed a club-record $ 160 million, four-year contract.
Running back Ezekiel Elliott and Amari’s catching trio. Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup represent a very talented group.
The offensive line is back intact with the return of injuries to Zack Martin, Tyron Smith and La’el Collins.
Weaknesses: Last year’s defense gave up the most points in franchise history and coordinator Mike Nolan was replaced by Dan Quinn after just one season.
The Cowboys set a club record with seven defensive picks in the draft.
The first-round player was linebacker Micah Parsons, who has shown star potential in training camp.
What happened to preseason camp: Prescott did not participate in competitive drills for most of preseason after injuring his right shoulder in practice on July 28.
The Cowboys said all the time it was just a matter of rest.
Expectations: The Cowboys believe they have a roster capable of ending a 26-year streak without even reaching the National Conference championship since the franchise’s fifth Super Bowl title.
Owner Jerry Jones believes he found the right coach last year in Mike McCarthy, who capped off the 2010 season with a Super Bowl victory for the Green Bay Packers.
McCarthy’s seat will heat up quickly if he starts the season with a losing streak.