PFF’s pre-draft power rankings depict Cowboys as Super Bowl contender

The Dallas Cowboys failed to make it to the NFC Championship Game last season. To make matters worse, the offense didn’t show up to complement the defense’s heroic performance in the second round against the 49ers.

Mike McCarthy is seemingly entering a make-or-break season in 2023, and the front office’s actions this offseason are one of a team that is tired of falling short when it matters most.

The most frustrating part of the last two playoff exits is that Dallas had enough talent to advance further.

The team wasn’t without flaws, obviously, but nobody would have batted an eyelash if the Cowboys played in the Super Bowl. The media would’ve got their jokes off given the team’s long-standing title drought, but on paper Dallas had the pieces in place to be one of the two teams left standing.

By trading for Brandin Cooks and Stephon Gilmore, the front office has given the coaching staff and players little margin for error.

The Cowboys should be one of the NFL’s best teams in 2023, and Pro Football Focus’ pre-draft power rankings are indicative of that.

Cowboys rank No. 6 in PFF’s pre-draft power rankings

Here’s what the top-10 looks like, per Ameila Probst.

1. Kansas City Chiefs
2. San Francisco 49ers
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. Buffalo Bills
5. Cincinnati Bengals
6. Dallas Cowboys
7. Los Angeles Chargers
8. Minnesota Vikings
9. Baltimore Ravens
10. Miami Dolphins

Probst pegged Stephon Gilmore as Dallas’ biggest addition.

"The Cowboys now have an elite cornerback to pair with Trevon Diggs, as they signed Stephon Gilmore in free agency. Gilmore has been one of the best cornerbacks in football since moving to the New England Patriots in 2017, and he reconfirmed that with an impressive showing for the Indianapolis Colts in 2022 after playing just 304 snaps with the Carolina Panthers in 2021. Since 2017, his 92.8 PFF coverage grade is the highest among all cornerbacks to play at least 1,000 snaps."

Hard to argue with those points. Cornerback was unquestionably the Cowboys’ biggest weakness coming into the offseason and they addressed it by adding a former DPOY who still as CB1 potential, but will operate as the No. 2 in Dallas opposite Trevon Diggs. Just what the doctor ordered.

The biggest omissions from the top-10 include the Jaguars and Lions, but the Cowboys’ placement as the NFL’s sixth-best team is accurate. While the Eagles lost some important pieces in free agency, their roster is still loaded and should be considered the favorites to repeat as division champs.

That said, Dallas is right on Philly’s tails. If these were our rankings, we might put one of Cincinnati or Buffalo ahead of the Eagles. Ultimately though, the 49ers, Eagles and Cowboys are the class of the NFC until proven otherwise. Those two teams will in all likelihood be standing in the way of Dallas’ Super Bowl quest.

If the Cowboys draft a receiver early, add to their running back room, and select an interior defender to play alongside Osa Odighizuwa and Johnathan Hankins, they’ll be neck-and-neck with the Eagles and 49ers.

Some would even go as far as to say Dallas should rank ahead of their NFC foes in that scenario, but let’s not get too carried away.

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