National Football League

Eagles vs. Cowboys: 'Undisputed' crew debates which team has top young talent

Updated Sep. 7, 2023 5:19 p.m. ET

The NFL is oozing with young talent with the likes of Jalen Hurts, Micah Parsons and Joe Burrow looking like the next core of players set to be the face of the league.

Earlier this week, FOX Sports' group of NFL writers ranked all 32 teams based on their young talent, with the Philadelphia Eagles coming in first, followed by the Dallas Cowboys in second.

On Thursday's edition of "Undisputed," Michael Irvin, Keyshawn Johnson and Skip Bayless compared the Eagles' young talent to that of the Cowboys.

Irvin, who starred for the Cowboys from 1988-99, likes Dallas' young core more than Philadelphia's.

"Philly's No. 1, no doubt. I said last year going into the year that I saw Philly headed toward a dynasty. All I needed to see was whose hand was going to be on the steering wheel, and I like what I saw from [Jalen Hurts], but then I saw the Cowboys putting pieces together, pieces that fit this Eagles team well," Irvin said. "Why do you think [they] went and got a Stephon Gilmore? For that other receiver outside of A.J. Brown [DeVonta Smith]. Now you got two corners to go with their two receivers. Why do you think you go and get a Mazi Smith? You go and get him to stop that 1-yard run that you cannot stop from Philadelphia when Jalen Hurts and that whole group get together.

"You see this because you start drafting for one another. Both of these teams are going to be very good teams heading into the future and both will continue to draft, looking at one another, saying ‘what do we need to beat one another?’"

Eagles, Cowboys hold top spots in NFL's Young Talent Rankings

Bayless agrees with Irvin, arguing that Jones and the Cowboys have accumulated a trove of highly-talented players.

"Would you believe that Jerry Jones' teams since 2000 has drafted the most Pro Bowlers in the National Football League who made the Pro Bowl for the team that they were drafted by, the Dallas Cowboys," Bayless said. "Think about this, who has final say on all the top Cowboy draft picks? It's Jerry Jones, well he gets no credit. … I still give Jerry the respect he deserves because he's got the final say in this."

On the other hand, Johnson gave Philadelphia the edge.

"When you look at both of these teams, the notable players under the age of 27, DeVonta Smith, Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Jordan Davis and Josh Sweat … that's some stuff right there," Johnson said. "And when you talk about the Cowboys, Tyler Smith, CeeDee Lamb, Tony Pollard, Terence Steele, Trevon Diggs and Micah Parsons, the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys [Dak Prescott] is 30 years old. It's still young for the quarterback position, so he's still got a runway, but guess what Jerry Jones just went out there and did? He went and got an even younger quarterback in Trey Lance, just in case something don't go the way we need it to go over the next couple years, we still staying young.

"When you look at it, both of these teams are going to be around for a long time. [Eagles general manager] Howie Roseman has done a tremendous job at selecting players."

Philadelphia and Dallas split their season series last season, with both teams winning on their home turf with the opposition down its starting quarterback. The Eagles won the NFC East at 14-3 and reached the Super Bowl for the second time in six years. Meanwhile, the Cowboys finished 12-5 for a second consecutive season and were eliminated in the NFC Divisional round.

The two teams square off for the first time this season on Nov. 5, as Philadelphia hosts Dallas. Kickoff is at 4:25 p.m. ET and can be viewed on FOX and the FOX Sports app.

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