Cowboys Rankings as NFC Playoff Contender: How Low Is Dallas Slipping?

There can be zero doubt that the Dallas Cowboys roster is worse than the one that played and got blown apart by the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs.

After yet another poor postseason effort, the anger and frustration among the fanbase reached a level not seen for a long time.

Many thought swift changes would come, but they didn't. Some thought the team would be players in free agency and look to add pieces, but they weren't. Instead, multiple starters and rotational players left with being replaced, seemingly as part of a plan that is as confusing as it is intriguing.

But with other NFC teams in the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Detroit Lions, and the Packers all getting better, where do the Cowboys rank among the NFC hierarchy?

We would suggest that Dallas - maybe hanging on for dear life here - remains a top-four roster, in the NFC, behind only the San Francisco 49ers (1), Eagles (2) and Eagles (3).

The Cowboys still employ top-notch playmakers in Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs, DeMarcus Lawrence, Jake Ferguson and DaRon Bland, plus two blue-chip blockers in Zack Martin and Tyler Smith ... though admittedly what Dallas does not employ are guys who have seen those abilities translate into playoff wins.

Also worth noting are the teams that may be catching up with Dallas.

The Seahawks, Rams, Falcons and Bucs are chasing. If the Commanders hit on a QB high in this next NFL Dft, they'll be in the race. And Green Bay, the team that beat the brakes off Dallas and got one of the best running backs in the free agency class in Josh Jacobs? The Pack can make the argument right now about being better than Dallas.

But Dallas does have centerpiece talent ... though the contractual situations with Dak, Lamb and Micah - all awaiting extensions - casts a shadow.

Will the Cowboys sign 'em and bank on those three hitting the heights of previous seasons? With a roster that, on paper, isn't as talented as last season, that seems a tall order. But there is still time for the franchise to do some dealings before the NFL Draft.

Dallas seems on shaky ground right now, and being ranked as the fourth-best team in the NFC can be a temporary thing. This much is true: The Cowboys, at best, are trying to stay the same. The competition in the NFC, almost across the board, are doing more than that.