Skip to main content

'Triplets': Are Cowboys' Dak, Zeke & Amari NFL's Best?

An elite quarterback, running back, and wide receiver. That is what makes triplets strong and the Cowboys check all of the necessary boxes.
  • Author:
  • Publish date:

The Dallas Cowboys teams of the 90s created the idea of "triplets" around the NFL. Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin saw great success in Dallas that landed them three Super Bowls in four years.

This set a standard for the league and nearly 30 years later, it is something Dallas is looking to recreate.

According to rankings by CBS, the Cowboys will enter the 2021 season with one of the best quarterback, running back, and wide receiver groups in the league. An article by Jared Dubin of CBS Sports has the Cowboys at No. 3, with just the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers in front.

Dallas was one of three teams to receive a first-place vote in the rankings. So what kept the Cowboys out of the top spot? Well, it is hard to leapfrog teams that have the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers under center. 

Dak Prescott is coming off a gruesome ankle injury but he will enter Week 1 healthy and as one of the top quarterbacks in the league. Amari Cooper is still the team's No. 1 receiver, even with the presence of both Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb.

Ezekiel Elliott failed to reach the 1,000-yard mark for just the second time in his career last season. This was categorized as a down year but Elliott still totaled 979 yards and averaged four yards per carry. Not to mention that having Prescott under center makes Elliott better - and vice versa. 

Dallas is getting a lot of love from CBS in these rankings and rightfully so. If healthy, the Cowboys should have one of the top offenses in the league. Landing at No. 3 on this list is nothing to be upset over and it has them miles ahead of their foes in the NFC East. The New York Giants are the closest to Dallas at No. 18 with Washington right behind them at No. 19. The Philadelphia Eagles, who still have plenty of unanswered questions, round out the division at No. 26.

There is no reason to move Dallas out of the third spot, whether higher or lower. Heading into the 2021 season, this puts the Cowboys in a rock-solid position on the offensive side of the ball.

READ MORE: Cowboys Fans Second-Smartest in NFL?