Many of Sports Illustrated’s 2022 bold predictions directly affect Cowboys

Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr did something that many are afraid to do – make some bold predictions. Not only did Orr make some, but he made 100. And while not all of them deal directly with Dallas Cowboys players, there are some that can certainly have an effect on the Cowboys as a whole if they come true.

The list is quite expansive. It ranges from as controversial as Tom Brady throwing fewer than 35 touchdown passes to as wild as the Jets winning more than six games to as random as Taylor Swift headlining the Super Bowl to as comical as Rob Gronkowski getting a USAA membership.

You can check out the entire list, but as a Cowboys site, we did you a favor and picked out all of the things that could somehow influence Dallas. We will break them down into two categories.

Sports Illustrated’s 2022 predictions that are about the Dallas Cowboys

No. 37: CeeDee Lamb will be one of the three most productive receivers in the NFL (in terms of total receiving yards) 

PFF already had a similar prediction for the Cowboys’ new WR1. They felt Lamb was a dark horse to lead the league in receiving yards. Orr is ready for the young receiver to establish himself amongst the elite. The writer doesn’t believe anyone can surpass Kupp this year, but he does think Lamb could be amongst the close runner-ups.

No. 40: Ezekiel Elliott won’t lead Cowboys running backs in touches

This prediction piggybacks a long-discussed debate about the current Cowboys. Should underrated/underappreciated RB2 Tony Pollard get more snaps than Ezekiel Elliott? According to this premonition, he will. Orr thinks the Cowboys will finally give fewer snaps to Elliott after diminishing production.

No. 66: “The Cowboys’ coaching situation will reach a theatrical peak on Christmas Eve after the Eagles game”

In this prediction, Orr assumes that the Cowboys will start the season 0-2 with losses to the Bengals and Bucs. From there, the team will have to claw its way to reach .500 on the year. During all of that, Mike McCarthy will yet again come under fire as the leader of the team. Could Sean Payton make his way to Dallas after Christmas? What quotes will we get from Jerry Jones?

Sports Illustrated’s 2022 predictions that will have an impact on the Cowboys

No. 7: Sean Payton doesn’t make it a full season in the booth before jumping back into coaching

The Sean Payton coaching the Cowboys narrative now seems like ages ago, but it’s likely still in the back of people’s minds. When Payton announced he was leaving the Saints, he assured reporters that he was committed to a career in broadcasting. Orr isn’t convinced. Could Payton be persuaded to work for Jerry Jones again sooner than we may think?

No. 15: Giants QB Daniel Jones wins NFL Comeback Player of the Year

To be fair, the New York Giants have a lot of other things to improve before they can beat the Cowboys, but if Daniel Jones has a massive turnaround year, that’s certainly not good news for Dallas. Many are banking on games against the Giants being easy Ws. But, if they have a functioning quarterback, it could be a challenge.

No. 16: The Eagles will win the NFC East

Ouch. Many have discussed it and wondered if it’s true, but Orr is putting it out into the universe. With a huge offseason, the Eagles are looking far more threatening than in years past. Apparently, their 2022 draft and free agency hauls will be enough to put them on top of the NFC East division.

No. 45: The ground is laid for a mass tight end holdout after the 2022 season

This will only be important if the Cowboys neglect to put tight end, Dalton Schultz, on a long-term deal before July 15th. If Schultz stays on the franchise tag, the Cowboys will have to negotiate with him after 2022. If Jake Ferguson turns out to be great, it may not be a problem. But if he isn’t, Dallas may be left to shell out big bucks to get a reliable TE.

We know that all of these are just predictions and none of them are written in stone, but they all seem semi-plausible. Do you agree with any of them?