National Football League

The Cowboys are perfectly set up for contention; why 2023 is their best shot

Published Aug. 16, 2023 12:27 p.m. ET

The cliché is that a great offensive lineman often goes unnoticed, but Zack Martin clearly sent a message with his absence.

If there was ever a question of how the Cowboys value their perennial All-Pro guard, accept this answer from head coach Mike McCarthy. "The room erupted," McCarthy said. "There's been a lot of high fives and hugs all day and night yesterday, once he got in. That shows you what he means to us and what he means to our football team."

Martin is back where he belongs, physically and financially. The future Pro Football Hall of Famer is once again one of the highest-paid guards in the NFL, and he'll be back in pads posthaste. As usual with contract negotiations, though, the story stops being about the contract the moment it's signed. From this point forward, the focus is about a Cowboys roster that's about as complete as it's looked in recent history.

There might not have been much doubt that Martin would eventually report to camp, but his presence still eases one of the last big concerns on the roster. With him back in the fold, the Cowboys boast three Pro Bowlers on their offensive line, not to mention an ascending young star in Tyler Smith. That goes along nicely with Pro Bowlers at quarterback and running back, as well as three 1,000-yard receivers.

The defense somehow looks better. Five members of the Dallas defense have been named All-Pros at some point in their career. Most of the others have experience playing in this scheme. Virtually the only potential starter who isn't already a known commodity, Mazi Smith, was pick No. 24 this past spring.

NFC preview: How good can Cowboys defense be?

If you can stomach some uncertainty at kicker, it's about as strong as a Cowboys roster has looked heading into a season since at least 2007 – if not earlier.

"We're going to be on our game, and we will be improved over last year," said owner and general manager Jerry Jones at the outset of camp.

The point isn't to hype up the 2023 Dallas Cowboys, despite how the past few paragraphs read.

The point is to illustrate a thought that's been coming into focus for several months, and crystalizing in camp: if not now, then when?

It feels like a fair question to ask. The Cowboys have gone 24-10 the last two seasons, winning one division title and going 1-2 in the postseason. The team they can't find a way past, San Francisco, has played in two-straight NFC Championship Games. Long doomed to a history of up-and-down results, the Cowboys are growing into a team that can be counted on to make the playoffs. Given their championship history, though, that will never be enough on its own.

"It's about getting hot at the right time and putting a couple of wins together," Dak Prescott told DallasCowboys.com last week. "And, for me, it's about making sure the details are defined so that when we get into the playoffs, we're going to be playing our best ball."

Prescott is a big part of that for various reasons. The obvious, hot-button topic is cutting back on his interceptions, which helped to sink the Cowboys in their most recent playoff loss to the 49ers.

Just as important is what he represents in a wide-open NFC. With Tom Brady retired and Aaron Rodgers off to the AFC, Prescott and Jalen Hurts are the best quarterbacks — and arguably on the best teams — on this side of the playoff bracket. Matthew Stafford has accomplished more but is leading a rebuilding Rams team. Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins and Derek Carr have solid resumes, but lesser rosters than the one in Dallas. Young starters like Jordan Love, Bryce Young and even Justin Fields are unknown commodities.

The path to postseason success will rarely look this manageable again.

"It's always Super Bowl or bust when you play for this organization," Prescott said. "I think that's the expectation that's there, and I don't think there is any coach or player on this team who would want it any other way."

He's right, of course. But it does feel different when those expectations are not only high, but also attainable.

Not to look too far down the road, but the timing could wind up meaning everything. Prescott is going to count nearly $60 million against the salary cap in 2024 if he's not extended before the new league year begins. CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons are going to require extensions that will make them among the highest-paid at their positions. In Parsons' case, he just might become the highest-paid defender in the league.

Can Micah Parsons lead Cowboys to a Super Bowl?

Stephon Gilmore will be a free agent after this one season with the team. Even Martin, the hero of the moment, will count big against the cap next season. It's something Jones himself touched on during this camp when he talked about urgency. As he has learned painfully several times during these 27 years without a Super Bowl appearance, you can't count on core players sticking around forever.

"When I see and what I've experienced on players that have played great for the Cowboys that aren't here today, we need to get it done now while we got them," he said.

This is the uncomfortable truth of life in the NFL. Even the most successful teams only ever have a short window to maximize a given roster. The Kansas City Chiefs who won Super Bowl LVII looked drastically different from the ones that won Super Bowl LIV, and the group that will be seeking a repeat in 2023 even more so. The Buffalo Bills might not have seen their championship window close yet, but those final 13 seconds in the 2021 divisional playoffs undoubtedly sting more with each missed opportunity.

Fortunately for Dallas that's all happening in the AFC, which looks like a demolition derby. That wouldn't be their problem until they reached Las Vegas, and taking part in a Super Bowl would be unfamiliar territory.

With this team and these circumstances, it looks as possible as ever. If not now, then when?

David Helman covers the Dallas Cowboys for FOX Sports. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team's official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing "Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion" about the quarterback's time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.

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