The 2023 NFL Season is here, and the Music City Drive In is getting you ready. Check back each day from now until September 3 as we look at each team and make award and playoff predictions. Agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comments.

The Cowboys weren’t the best team in the NFC East last year, but they were still one of the best in the NFC. The team won 12 games and qualified for the playoffs. After dispatching Tom Brady in the Wild Card Round, the team advanced to play the 49ers. While the team ultimately came up short, they were able to go a step further than the previous season. Can they do it again in 2023?

Off-Season Changes

The biggest changed came on offense. Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore left, taking the same position for the Los Angeles Chargers. The team also saw starting tight end Dalton Schultz departed for neighboring Houston. The biggest change was in the backfield, where the team released long-time starting running back Ezekiel Elliott.

It was somewhat of a quiet off-season for Dallas. The team did add to the backfield, signing veteran Ronald Jones, who spent 2022 in Kansas City. The team also made a move to acquire veteran receiver Brandin Cooks from the Houston Texans. In nine seasons, he’s caught 630 passes for 8,616 yards and 49 touchdowns. He figures to give the Cowboys a good option in the passing game.

In the draft, the Cowboys loaded up on the lines and defense. In the First Round, the team took defensive tackle Mazi Smith. In the Third Round, the team snagged DeMarvion Overshown. Offensively, the Cowboys spent a Second-Round pick on tight end Luke Schoonmaker and a Sixth Round pick on running back Deuce Vaughn.

Fantasy Impact

At quarterback, the Cowboys are led by Dak Prescott. He missed five games but finished as QB18. If healthy, he’s a QB1. In the backfield, it’s all about Tony Pollard, who got the Franchise Tag this off-season. Pollard is recovering from a broken leg in the playoffs but was RB8 in 2022. As the lead back without much of a challenge behind him, I like Pollard as a top-end RB1 again.

In the passing game, Cooks joins receivers CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup. Lamb is a star. He finished as WR5 in 2022. He’s the best of the team, and a top WR1. The question is the role for Cooks and Gallup, who had a down year in 2022 recovering from injury. I think both can produce. I like Cooks and Gallup as WR3s this season, which makes Gallup a great value. He’s currently going as WR61.

Tight end is more of a question. The team has returning players Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot. Into that mix comes Schoonmaker. One of them will have a role but I don’t think any of the tight ends matches what Schultz has done the past three seasons. Schoonmaker is a decent bet for dynasty, but Ferguson is the player I’d take at the end of a re-draft draft.

Prediction

The Cowboys have made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons under Mike McCarthy. They aren’t the best team in the NFC East, but they’re still among the Top 5 teams in the NFC. I think the Cowboys will win 11 or 12 games again and make the playoffs.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.