Are the Dallas Cowboys the most talented team in the NFL?

While talent may be arbitrary to judge, one respected source has determined that the Dallas Cowboys may in fact have the most talent in the NFL.

When most people think about who the best teams are in any particular sport, the obvious measurement is wins and losses. Being the best team and having the most talent, however, are two different things.

Anyone who knows anything about football would have to admit that the New England Patriots are the gold standard of the NFL. With two Super Bowl victories in three seasons and 14 straight seasons with ten or more wins, this is not debatable.

What is up for conjecture, however, is which NFL team has the most talent. Clearly, a large part of the Patriots success is tied to the “marriage” of their head coach and quarterback. Does New England have better talent than other teams though?

Honestly, I don’t believe so.

Neither does the experts over at Pro Football Focus. Each year, they rank the top fifty players based on the previous season. Through several different grading systems and statistics, they compile a list of who performed the best on the field of play.

What probably will come as no shock to you is that the aforementioned quarterback above came in pretty high on the list. In fact, the Patriots have two players in the top ten. Their total of four players in the top fifty, however, is not the most.

That distinction belongs to your Dallas Cowboys.

No other team in the NFL has more players on the Pro Football Focus list than the Cowboys.

Three of those players man the offensive line. Travis Frederick (16th), Tyron Smith (21st) and Zack Martin (34th) were actually the top three Cowboys.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott (45th) and linebacker Sean Lee (48th) round out the list for Dallas.

Beyond the well-deserved praise for the talent level in Dallas, there needs to be some recognition of just how elite these guys played in 2016.

For example, no other center adorns the list except for Frederick. In short, that means he had the best year, by far and away of any other player at his position.

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Smith came in as the highest rated offensive tackle on the list. In fact, only three other tackles made the list.

Speaking of rarefied air, Martin was one of only three guards to make the list. Being the second best guard isn’t too bad considering that he fell behind the overall top rated offensive lineman in Baltimore’s Marshal Yanda.

If this doesn’t solidify the belief that the Dallas Cowboys have the best offensive line in football, I don’t what else could. Eight offensive linemen made the top fifty and three have a Star on their helmet. That’s impressive.

As for Elliott and Lee, both of them were the third best players at their position according to PFF.

One would have to surmise that Elliott finished third behind Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell and the Cardinals David Johnson due to their receiving acumen. Bell put up 75 receptions and 616 yards in 2016. Johnson caught 80 balls for 879 yards and 4 touchdowns.

While that was not a big part of Elliott’s year in 2016, you can bet the Cowboys will look to get him more touches this year.

In regards to Lee, it’s never been about his talent, just about his health. Although last year was the first he failed to register an interception, Lee did just about everything else you could ask him to do. Finishing fourth in tackles and seventh in defensive stops is remarkable.

Ultimately, the difference between the two teams is simple. One has mastered the art of maximizing talent. The Dallas Cowboys may be on the brink of doing that however. This is a far younger team than New England. They are just starting to come together as a unit.

Next: Why the Dallas Cowboys should sign Colin Kaepernick

With a few more additions, talent-wise, to the defense, the Cowboys might be at the doorstep of greatness. It’s on them to kick down the door.

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