Do the Dallas Cowboys have a legitimate Super Bowl shot?

Will the 2019 season be the first in 24 years that the Dallas Cowboys win more than one playoff game? Can they dethrone the defending Super Bowl champions?

The New England Patriots have played in the last three Super Bowls, winning two. During the upcoming season, the Dallas Cowboys will play the defending champions on the Sunday before Thanksgiving in Foxboro.

Cowboys fans are hoping that this game will be a measuring stick for America’s Team. Can Dallas travel to New England and compete with the NFL’s best franchise over the last two decades? Adam Schein of NFL.com thinks so. He gives the Cowboys the best chance of any NFC team to beat the champs and win the Super Bowl.

Schein feels that Dallas might be the best team in the league at running the football and playing defense – the two qualities required to win in the playoffs even in the pass-happy NFL. He cites running back Ezekiel Elliott and linebackers Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch as the biggest reasons Dallas might be able to dominate their opponents.

Now is the time where every NFL fanbase feels their team has a chance. The draft is finished and every team feels they landed several future Hall of Famers with their draft haul.

The training camp roster is likely set. It’s unlikely the Cowboys will add any big name players like free agent defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. There still may be a move or two to bring in a camp body, someone who might surprise like defensive tackle Antwaun Woods did last year.

What this team has on the current 90-man roster is likely who they’ll select for their final-53. In years past, the Cowboys have tinkered with the bottom of the roster, trading future late round picks for team depth. Most likely this year, the Cowboys will be selling their player surplus for future draft picks.

The Cowboys must feel good about their offseason. They have quality starters at every position on offense with maybe the exception of tight end with still proving themselves Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz and Old Man “Witt” there to guide them.

On defense, they have a projected eight-man deep rotation for their defensive line and former All-Pro Sean Lee projects as their third linebacker on the depth chart. Still ascending cornerbacks Chido Awuzie and Byron Jones anchor the back end of the defense.

Safety is often identified by fans as the weak link on the team. Dallas chose not to do anything flashy by signing big-name players like Earl Thomas or Eric Berry, the latter is still unsigned. Dallas also passed on several safeties in the second round of the draft in order to select Rod Marinelli’s latest pet cat defensive lineman Trysten Hill.

Injuries can be random and have undone many team’s championship aspirations. The Cowboys are reasonably stocked at all positions (except quarterback) to withstand any season-ending injuries.

The positions hardest to find quality backups during the season are being touted as the strength of the Cowboys roster – offensive and defensive line. Earlier this week, my colleague Steven Mullenax identified the ridiculous logjam at wide receiver. This roster has depth.

The Dallas front office has delivered a championship-worthy roster. We are starting to see some snippets from Organized Team Activities (OTAs) for how the coaching staff will deploy their assets.

Maybe the biggest question mark in the organization still to be answered is can newly appointed offensive coordinator Kellen Moore solve the offense’s red zone issues and call a game to keep the opposing defense guessing.

For now, Dallas Cowboys fans should be happy that former offensive coordinator Scott Linehan was not retained. The honeymoon period for Kellen Moore still gives hope that he will be an improvement. Optimism runs rampant in the offseason. But as Mike Tyson famously said, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. Here’s hoping the Cowboys are the team doing the punching in 2019.