5 moves that will turn the Cowboys into a Super Bowl contender

The Dallas Cowboys are heading into the 2023 NFL season looking to build on the success they had in 2022.

Never seen as a team that is rebuilding, the Cowboys’ front office always seems to have a plan going into free agency and the draft. If they want to return to their former glory, though, they will need to make some moves that are out of character for this team as of late, spend money. The trend around the league lately has been to spend money in order to make deep runs and get to the Super Bowl.

The Rams, Buccaneers, Eagles, and Chiefs all made aggressive moves in free agency and they all paid off for them. The Cowboys need to follow suit and instead of building through the draft, which they are extremely good at, go out and spend money on players that haven’t been a part of your organization.

They can spend money on their own players if they feel they really need them back but they need impact players that can come in and make this team a true Super Bowl contender once again.

Here are five moves Dallas can make that could get them back into the Super Bowl conversation.

5 moves that would make Cowboys a Super Bowl contender

1. Sign highly-touted WR

It’s always a difficult balancing act when teams are looking to add free-agent talent to their roster, you want someone that can come in and make an immediate impact but isn’t going to be a headache in the locker room.

The Cowboys are in this exact situation heading into 2023; they know they need receiver help and looked to bring someone in and even trade for a player in 2022 to help Dak Prescott and this offense, but were unable to finalize a deal. The closest they may have gotten was with the courting of Odell Beckham Jr., but that also fell through due to his recovery time from the ACL injury he suffered in the Super Bowl.

Beckham Jr. is now posting videos of his workouts in order to show teams he’s going to be ready to go for the 2023 season.

That should be all the Dallas front office needs in order to get them back on board in starting negotiations with Beckham Jr. and his team once again. Adding a receiver of his caliber would immediately help this offense with his route running ability and his knowledge of all three receiver positions, taking pressure off CeeDee Lamb and Prescott.

The Cowboys were the closest team to signing Beckham Jr., and that should give them the upper hand against other teams if they can start talking to him early enough and would be a win-win situation for both sides if they can work out a deal.

2. Sign Daron Payne

The Cowboys need an impact defensive lineman in the middle of their defense — one that can provide ideal run support but also give them pass-rush ability. Commanders free agent Daron Payne would be that player for the Cowboys, and adding him to their already dangerous defensive front would boost this defense to heights we haven’t seen before.

Payne’s unique combination of power and speed is something that you don’t normally see from a 320-pound defensive tackle who’s generated 40 tackles for loss and 26 sacks since entering the league.

Signing Payne would be a home run for Dallas’ efforts to shore up their run defense while at the same time weakening a division rival. Payne isn’t going to come cheap, though, so if the Cowboys are really looking to make a splash this might be one of the only big moves you’ll see from this front office in free agency.

3. Bring back Leighton Vander Esch

If there was anyone on this Cowboys roster in 2022 who showed just how valuable they are on this team Leighton Vander Esch has to be at the top or close to the top of their list. His play against the run was the best we’ve seen from the linebacker since his arrival in 2018 when he had 140 total tackles.

If the Cowboys are smart, they will work on bringing back Vander Esch quickly in order to get a deal done that works for both sides.

Getting Vander ESch back on the roster, and having him play behind Payne would allow him to be even more of a problem for offenses in the running game. It would also allow the Cowboys to look at filling other needs instead of scouting linebackers in the upcoming draft. Not to mention, it would keep LVE paired with Micah Parsons, which has proven to be a strong duo on the field together.

4. Draft a top receiver

It is no secret that the Cowboys are going to look at taking another wide receiver in the 2023 draft to help this offense.

The addition of a free-agent receiver isn’t going to be enough, and in order to improve this offense Dallas is going to need to take a receiver in either the first or second round of this draft if they want to get someone who can come in and help this offense quickly.

They tried last season with Jalen Tolbert but he didn’t even see the field last season, leaving little confidence that he can take a step forward heading into the 2023 season.

The Cowboys need someone who can beat press coverage, and slippery enough to run routes and consistently create space for Prescott to build enough confidence in him to throw him the football. This draft has quite a few receivers they will be able to choose from, but the one thing can’t do is cross receivers off their list based on their size.

If Tyreek Hill has shown us anything it’s that size means nothing if you can shake and outrun anyone put in front of you.

5. Draft a starting cornerback

The Cowboys have found their stud cornerback for the foreseeable future in Trevon Diggs. The problem they have right now is they don’t have a reliable option that can come in and play opposite him.

Anthony Brown will be a free agent coming off a major injury ,so there’s a chance the Cowboys are able to bring him back on a team-friendly deal. Still, they need to get another young and talented cornerback on this roster to pair with Diggs and rising star DaRon Bland to help solidify this secondary.

If you remember, Dallas was wiped out a few years ago when they were looking to take one of the two top cornerbacks in the 2021 draft.

This time around with another deep crop of cornerbacks, the Cowboys should have the ability to get a top prospect out of this year’s draft should one fall to them in either the first or second round of the upcoming draft.

They can’t afford to pass on a cornerback with one of those picks this year if they want to make sure teams aren’t going to strictly target the receivers opposite Diggs. Put someone on the other side of the field that can hold his own in coverage and allow that dangerous defensive front to pin their ears back and go after the quarterback.

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