USATSI
On paper, the Cowboys might be one of the most talented teams in the NFC. Team owner Jerry Jones agrees, telling reporters at the start of training camp Tuesday that he believes Dallas “can compete for the top spot” as a Super Bowl contender in 2023.
“I certainly think — and came to camp with the idea in mind — that, if we can have the kind of camp we wanna have, that we’ve got a team that can compete for the top spot,” Jones said, per NFL Media. “I don’t want to understate that, for sure. There’s a lot of work to be done because we’re gonna play a lot of young players. But I think when you weigh it, you weigh where we’ve evolved over the last two or three years with our defense, you look at some of the talent we’ve got, you look at Dak (Prescott). When I look at all those things, I think we’ve got a chance to be a contender.”
Jones has never been one to downplay Dallas’ chances of making a run. But oddsmakers generally agree with his 2023 optimism, as the Cowboys open camp with the third-best odds to win the NFC, behind only the reigning conference champion Eagles and defending runner-up 49ers. While America’s Team hasn’t advanced to an NFC title game since the 1990s, the Cowboys have won 12 games in back-to-back seasons under coach Mike McCarthy, even with Prescott sidelined for an extended period in 2022.
The Cowboys also upgraded at several key positions this offseason, acquiring Brandin Cooks to start opposite CeeDee Lamb at wide receiver, and trading for Stephon Gilmore to start opposite Trevon Diggs at cornerback.
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