5 Cowboys players who are peaking at just the right time

Timing is everything. Being the best football team in September doesn’t mean much in January. There are ebbs and flows to an NFL season and oftentimes the Dallas Cowboys find themselves ebbing at a time they should actually be flowing.

For teams seeking postseason success, playing well down the stretch is crucial. No. 1 seeds don’t always win the Lombardi Trophy because sometimes the hot team with all the momentum steals it. The Cowboys hope to be that hot team in 2023.

Winners of seven of their last eight games, the Cowboys are playing as good as any team in the NFL. They have been winning in all three phases of the game and have been winning quite decisively at that. It’s no coincidence some of their most important players are playing some of the best ball of their careers.

Excluding first-year NFL players, we look at five players who are peaking for the Cowboys at just the right time…

1. Dak Prescott, QB

No NFL quarterback has been playing as well as Prescott has since Week 6. Over that period of time the Cowboys offense has averaged nearly 36 points. Prescott has also led all passers in adjusted EPA/play, EPA+CPOE composite score, and success rate over that same period of time.

Prescott is currently the highest graded QB in PFF’s season rankings. At 6.6%, he has the highest big time throw percentage in the NFL. Of those with more than five starts, he’s best in the NFL in turnover worthy throw percentage.

Prescott has now moved to the forefront of the MVP conversation and has flipped even some of his harshest critics. Playing the most important position in the game, Prescott has a chance to singlehandedly guide the Cowboys to postseason success in 2023. Few players have even played as well as Prescott has of late and if No. 4 can keep the good times rolling in Dallas, the sky is the limit for this team in the playoffs.   

With three of the next four games on the road, Prescott will certainly be put to the test. Crowd noise will limit his ability to communicate so his brethren on offense won’t be able to lean on him quite as much as before. But all indications are everyone is up to speed on what it will take and Prescott is more than capable of picking up the slack just in case.

2. Osa Odighizuwa, DT

Osa Odighizuwa has had a meteoric rise in the NFL. Since getting drafted in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft, Odighizuwa has quietly, yet convincingly, become a key member of the Cowboys defensive line.

The Cowboys have struggled to build their defensive interior over the past few seasons. Finding players who are both stout enough to play the run and explosive enough to penetrate and pursue ball carriers has been a challenge.

Fellow tackles Neville Gallimore and Quinton Bohanna haven't exactly panned out and rookies Mazi Smith and Viliami Fehoko appear to be more potential than game ready. Luckily for them, Odighizuwa has been both a key playmaker and a steady force in the lineup.

Odighizuwa is currently graded as the fifth best DT in the NFL this season. At age 25, he’s the second youngest player graded in the NFL’s top-15. He’s a rising star in the league and playing some of the best ball of his career right now.

Looking forward, Odighizuwa will be tested. Johnathan Hankins is out of the lineup for an undetermined amount of time and the Cowboys will be busy rotating in replacement players in his absence. Odighizuwa will likely need to do some extra heavy lifting during this stretch, which means more attention to the less glamourous running game portion of his job.

3. Jake Ferguson, TE

Perhaps no player has been flying quite as high in recent weeks, as Jake Ferguson (pun intended). Ferguson isn’t just establishing himself as one of Prescott’s favorite targets dowfield, but he’s becoming a playmaker and fan-favorite.

Ferguson will not hesitate to lower his head and deliver a blow to would-be tacklers. He also has no problem jumping over them entirely.

The man with 145 collegiate receptions has been a star in the NFL. He’s a playmaker with the ball in his hands and a reliable weapon in the flat and down the seam in the Dallas offense.  Perhaps most impressively is his ability and willingness to block.

Towards the end of his career in Dallas, Dalton Schultz became less and less interested in the blocking element of the game. It’s a common shift in mindset for many NFL TEs and part of what makes George Kittle in San Francisco so special. Ferguson has that same special quality.

Graded in the top-10 this season by PFF, Ferguson’s film does the talking. He’s a complete player who adds value to both phases of the game. This will be paramount down the stretch as the weather gets more volatile and gameplans are forced to shift in an instant.

4. Tyler Smith, LG

Tyler Smith, Dallas’ first round pick in 2022, is playing as good as any guard in the NFL. Graded fifth amongst his peers, Smith has already established himself as one of the leagues most elite interior players in the game. It’s also worth pointing out, at age 22, he’s the youngest player in PFF’s list of top-30 guards.

Coming off a standout performance against the Eagles, Smith is playing the best football of his career right now. Philadelphia boasts arguably the best defensive interior in the NFL and their best player, Jalen Carter, was matched up primarily against Smith most of the night. Smith stonewalled him.

Not only does Smith offer dominance as a pass protector and run blocker, but his athleticism allows him to play outside in a pinch. Smith can easily make second level blocks in the running game and has shown he can handle all the reads and adjustments needed to survive the various stunts and blitzes faced in pass protection.

Nearly every game Tyler Smith gets better and it’s allowing the men next to him to thrive as well. At LT Tyron Smith is playing the best he has in years and it stands to reason part of that is because Tyler Smith is handling business next to him. At the same time, Tyler Biadasz is finding a good degree of success at center because he knows Zack Martin and Tyler Smith are executing all their assignments next to him as well.

In a game of inches it’s important to have powerful players playing at the peak of their abilities and Tyler Smith is doing that for the Cowboys.

5. Stephon Gilmore/DaRon Bland, CB

In a two-for-one special the Cowboys have both of their boundary cornerbacks playing at their peak levels right now.

Gilmore is coming off arguably his biggest moment since joining the Cowboys last March. Despite giving up some yardage, Gilmore held A.J. Brown in check most of the afternoon and after forcing a Brown fumble, he essentially made a home in Brown’s head the rest of the contest. Gilmore made critical tackles and was an emotional leader on the field.

While the former Defensive Player of the Year has obviously had better stretches in his career, he hadn’t had a better stretch since joining the Cowboys. If the wily veteran can keep up that same fervor the rest of the way, Dallas will have quite the fearsome secondary.

Speaking of fearsome, DaRon Bland is one of the most feared players in the NFL this season. He broke the record for interceptions returned for touchdown and currently leads the NFL in interceptions overall. He was picked on heavily against Seattle in Week 14 but after picking off a pass late, he reaffirmed his standing in the NFL.

Against the Eagles, Hurts steered clear of the young Cowboys CB. Bland was only targeted four times giving up two receptions for eight yards. Additionally, Bland logged two tackles for loss on Sunday showing he’s not just a coverage man to be feared, but an enforcer to be respected.

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