NFL Ranking Suggests Cowboys Could Have a Long-Term Problem

A ranking of every team’s ’under 25’ talent doesn’t bode well for the Dallas Cowboys’ future.

Dallas Cowboys safety Caleb Downs and LB DeMarvion Overshown go through a drill during practice at the Ford Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Dallas Cowboys enter the 2026 campaign as a team expecting to contend for the NFC East title. Should they live up to the hype and make the postseason, they have the talent to make a run in the postseason.

Dallas will lean heavily on players such as Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Tyler Smith, and Javonte Williams on offense. Defensively, Quinnen Williams and Rashan Gary are two of their most proven assets.

While this gives them the depth they need to contend now, their future seems to be more concerning. ESPN’s Aaron Schatz recently ranked every team based on their talent under 25, and the Cowboys came in at No. 24.

That’s quite a drop for Dallas, which was ranked 17th last year. As Schatz says, the majority of their young talent is on defense.

”Most of Dallas' offensive line graduated from our list this year, but right guard Booker is still only 22 years old, as is fourth-round offensive tackle Drew Shelton. The rest of the young talent is mostly on defense,” Schatz wrote.

“On the edge, Donovan Ezeiruaku is 22, and Malachi Lawrence is 23; but their birthdays are only two months apart (Sept. 25 for Ezeiruaku, July 21 for Lawrence). First-rounder Downs is 21. Linebacker Shemar James, who started six games last season, is 22.”

Dallas Cowboys must capitalize on their roster now

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer addresses the media before practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It’s encouraging to know the Cowboys are rebuilding their defense, but it’s also fair to say their elite offense is in the middle of a short window.

Time flies, which we should all know, and players such as Prescott and Lamb are closer to the end of the line than the beginning, especially Prescott who is entering year 11 and will turn 33 at the end of July. CeeDee Lamb is still just 27, but is already in year seven and will be ready to negotiate another extension soon.

The majority of their youth on offense is along the offensive line, which is promising. Dallas showed you can win with an elite line and a young team in 2016 when they added rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott behind an elite O-line and quickly won 13 games.

For those of us who have followed the team for decades, we have seen how fast the years go by, which is why head coach Brian Schottenheimer needs to work hard to get all he can out of this roster. If not, we could soon be talking about missed opportunities (as we did following the Tony Romo era) while going through another offensive rebuild.

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