The Dallas Cowboys 2024 NFL season kicks off very soon and it's time for you to get up to speed with the team after a painfully long offseason.

Well, you're in the right place as this ultimate preview covers every base including whether or not the Cowboys will be better, why they'll be better (or worse), as well as their top foes in the NFC and much more, while offering more in-depth reads at each topic with links to other articles.

Let's dive in! 

The Backcover: What's the theme of the 2024 Cowboys? 

What the Cowboys story in 2024 is all about: Since 2021, only one team has won more regular season games than the Cowboys' 36 and that's the Kansas City Chiefs. In that span, the Chiefs have made three AFC Championship appearances and have won two Super Bowls.

Since the league expanded the postseason to 14 teams, no seven seed had won a playoff game. Until it was the Cowboys on the other side. In January 14th, the Cowboys collapsed in shocking fashion, being down 27-0 at one point in the first half.

Naturally, anything that the Cowboys do in the regular season following three consecutive 12-win years will do little to get anyone excited. This is the burden of the team: Powering through a regular season with extreme focus knowing nothing matters other than showing up strong in the playoffs.

What's at stake this season?

There's so much at stake going into the 2024 NFL season that will hinge on how the team performs in a pivotal season.

• Mike McCarthy's job: Even 36 regular season wins in three years can't keep you safe in the NFL world, as McCarthy is set to coach on a contract year in 2024. At this point, it's unlikely more regular season success keeps McCarthy his gig, whose seat might've reached boiling temperature.
• Dak Prescott's future: This could (and probably should) get settled before the season. But if it comes to taking care of business in 2025. And yet, another All-Pro caliber season from Dak could persuade the Cowboys to hand their quarterback a blank check before March of 2025 just to keep him from reaching free agency. 
• Cowboys could blow it all up in 2025: 2025 could be their first true rebuild season in many, many years and if Prescott indeed doesn't receive a new deal, they might even have to start looking for a quarterback (or perhaps tanking for one with their eyes set in the 2026 NFL Draft). But that would only be the start of the teardown process. CeeDee Lamb, Zack Martin, DeMarcus Lawrence, Brandin Cooks, Osa Odighizuwa, and even Trey Lance are all on contract years.

Will the Cowboys be better or worse than in 2023?

It's a tricky question as the Cowboys won 12 games last year yet completely underwhelmed in the playoffs. However, there are reasons to believe they'll be better and reasons to believe they'll be worse. Let's break them down.

3 reasons they could be better

1. Getting better run blocking up front from Cowboys OL: The Cowboys' biggest hope of getting better on offense has to be the potential for a better run-blocking duo. Cooper Beebe is serious about the job and he might be an upgrade over Biadasz as long as he learns the nuances of the position in time. 
2. Improvements from key playmakers: Jake Ferguson is expected to solidify himself as one of the league's finest at one of the most important positions in the sport. In 2024, he's likely going to become Dak Prescott's No. 2 target behind CeeDee Lamb. Brandin Cooks and Dak didn't find their rhythm until the second half of the season and even then didn't seem to be on the same page on vertical routes, one of the main reasons why Cooks was brought in. But now, they've had a full season of working together and Cooks has been No. 1 in practice amid CeeDee Lamb's holdout.
3. A kinda better defense: The Cowboys were the No. 1 defense in EPA/play during Dan Quinn's tenure from 2021-2023, per RBSDM. And yet, his defense was specifically vulnerable against Kyle Shanahan-esque offenses and teams that were willing to go big on Dallas and bully them in the ground game. The hope is for Zimmer's defense to be better in those situations even if that means having worse overall stats. 

3 reasons why they could be worse

1. Tackle trouble with Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele: Tyler Guyton is a rare athlete. Someone his size shouldn't move as smoothly and quickly as he does. However, his hand placement and punch accuracy is rough on film and it might cost him when faced with top-tier edge rushers like Myles Garrett. Then there's Steele, whose struggles in 2023 might be explained by his rehab from ACL injury.
2. The front seven is highly concerning: The Cowboys lost Johnathan Hankins and the biggest gamble they made at defensive tackle was to simply cross their fingers and hope the unproven Mazi Smith turned things around after an underwhelming rookie year in which he struggled to maintain nose tackle weight.
3. The Trevon Diggs Risk: The Cowboys can't afford Diggs not coming back at an extremely high level as their depth is a serious concern, unlike last year when the team still had Gilmore and DaRon Bland following his injury. Among the risks they've taken on this offseason, not re-signing Gilmore and betting it all on Diggs' health is among the biggest ones.

2024 Cowboys Schedule

The Cowboys schedule will have six primetime showdowns during the 2024 NFL season. Catch up with their strength of schedule, revenge games, and top matchups to watch.  

• Week 1: at Cleveland Browns (Sunday, Sep. 8, 4:25 p.m. ET)
• Week 2: vs New Orleans Saints (Sunday, Sep. 15, 1:00 p.m. ET)
• Week 3: vs Baltimore Ravens (Sunday, Sep. 22, 4:25 p.m. ET)*
• Week 4: at New York Giants (Thursday, Sep. 26, 8:15 p.m. ET)*
• Week 5: at Pittsburgh Steelers (Sunday, Oct. 6, 8:20 p.m. ET)*
• Week 6: vs Detroit Lions (Sunday, Oct. 13, 4:25 p.m. ET)
• Week 7: BYE WEEK
• Week 8: at San Francisco 49ers (Sunday, Oct. 27, 8:20 p.m. ET)
• Week 9: at Atlanta Falcons (Sunday, Nov. 3, 1:00 p.m. ET)
• Week 10: vs Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday, Nov. 10, 4:25 p.m. ET)
• Week 11: vs Houston Texans (Monday, Nov. 18, 8:15 p.m. ET)
• Week 12: at Washington Commanders (Sunday, Nov. 24, 1:00 p.m. ET)
• Week 13: vs New York Giants (Sunday, Nov. 28, 4:30 p.m. ET)*
• Week 14: vs Cincinnati Bengals (Monday, Dec. 9, 8:15 p.m. ET)
• Week 15: at Carolina Panthers (Sunday, Dec. 15, 1:00 p.m. ET)
• Week 16: vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Sunday, Dec. 22, 8:20 p.m. ET)
• Week 17: at Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday, Dec. 29, 4:25 p.m. ET)
• Week 18: at Washington Commanders (TBD Jan. 4 or 5)

Top 3 foes in the NFC

A big part of the Cowboys 2024 season will be where they end up in the standings at the end of the year. To get a good spot in terms of the seeding, they'll need to overcome the top dogs in the conference.

1. San Francisco 49ers: This remains the best team in the NFC and more importantly, the most fearsome matchup for the Cowboys, who have yet to prove they can stop Kyle Shanahan's scheme, a big reason why the team brought in Mike Zimmer to coach the defense.
2. Detroit Lions: The Lions have arguably the best offensive line in football and a 38-year-old offensive guru in Ben Johnson calling the shots on a dangerous unit that includes Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, and Jahmyr Gibbs. 
3. Philadelphia Eagles: If someone is going to take the Lions' claim for best offensive line in the game, it's the Philadelphia Eagles even after Jason Kelce's retirement. The Cowboys' division rival made a significant bet this offseason as it brought in a couple of new coordinators in Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio and it could pay off huge dividends after last year's struggles in Philly.

Win-loss record prediction

• Optimistic: On my optimistic preview of the Cowboys' season, I laid out the best case scenario record as a 13-win season in which the offense stays playing at an elite level through Dak and CeeDee dominating in the passing game.
• Pessimistic: Run defense proves to be a big enough problem for the Cowboys to struggle in big games, of which there will be no shortage. In my pessimistic preview, I have an 8-9 record as a worst case scenario.
• Actual prediction: 11-5

One of the greatest Cowboys of all time just put Jerry Jones on blast amid Dak Prescott contract drama

He didn’t hold back.