Cowboys projected starting lineup after Brandin Cooks trade should terrify NFL

Much to the surprise of fans and the media, the Dallas Cowboys have put the pedal to the metal as far as upgrading their roster. The roster has come together over the years, but the front office has maddeningly sat on its hands once the offseason rolled around instead of pressing to add marquee talent.

For whatever reason, that’s changed this time around. In the first week of free agency alone, Dallas has re-signed multiple key free agents, and acquired Stephon Gilmore and Brandin Cooks through trade.

While re-signing Donovan Wilson and Leighton Vander Esch were great moves in their own right, acquiring Gilmore and Cooks has generated serious buzz about what this team can accomplish next season.

For years, the fan base has been banging the table for high-upside moves who fill obvious areas of need. Gilmore and Cooks fill that bill with room to spare, and both fall under the low-risk category given it only took late-round draft picks to get them through the door.

More additions are to come  and the draft, but let’s take a look at the Cowboys’ projected starting lineup after the Cooks deal.

Cowboys projected starting lineup on offense in 2023 after they acquired Brandin Cooks.

• QB: Dak Prescott
• RB: Tony Pollard
• WR: CeeDee Lamb
• WR: Brandin Cooks
• WR: Michael Gallup
• TE: Jake Ferguson
• LT: Tyron Smith
• LG: Tyler Smith
• C: Tyler Biadasz
• RG: Zack Martin
• RT Terence Steele

Are there better offensive lineups in the NFL? Sure. The Bengals and Eagles’ respective personnels are loaded, and the 49ers may top them both with Deebo Samuel, Trent Williams, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk leading the charge at skill positions.

That said, this is without question a top-five unit in the league. Cooks returned WR1 value as recently as 2021 with the Texans. Michael Gallup, though trending down after last season, has stud potential and will be another year removed from ACL sugery, and Tony Pollard is fresh off running for over 1,000 yards on an elite 5.2 yards per carry. Do we even need to wax poetic on CeeDee Lamb?

There’s potential for the Cowboys to add more firepower through the draft, too. Bijan Robinson is suddenly in play at No. 26 overall following the release of Ezekiel Elliott. Either way, Dallas drafting a running back at any point feels inevitable. And don’t rule out the possibility of them drafting a tight end early, too.

Could you imagine if they find a middle ground with Dalton Schultz amid the slow-developing tight end market? The Patriots gave Mike Gesicki $4.5 million with $4.5 million in incentives. It’s a one-year deal worth $9 million.

The Cowboys have little financial wiggle room following the Cooks trade, but that shouldn’t stop fans from getting excited about this offense. Remember, this unit put up 27.5 points per game with Gallup being a virtual non-factor, and the offensive line playing most of the season without All-Pro Tyron Smith.

Anyone else ready for the season to start?

Brandin Cooks dropped hint of Cowboys trade with cryptic IG comment

Brandin Cooks left a hint that he was getting traded to the Cowboys after he commented on Stephon Gilmore's Instagram post.