ESPN inexplicably thinks overrated NFC team has better weapons than Cowboys
The Cowboys continue to get disrespected by national NFL writers.
By Jerry Trotta
Is it fair to say the Dallas Cowboys offense is being overlooked? While the Brandin Cooks trade received nearly universal praise among NFL writers, the decision to move on from Kellen Moore and have Mike McCarthy take the play-calling reins has been polarizing to say the least.
Not to mention, the Cowboys defense is widely viewed as the team's strength. Not many fans would fight that, but it feels like the offense as a collective isn't getting nearly the respect it should.
Why else would analysts be pushing for Dallas to sign both DeAndre Hopkins and Dalvin Cook if they didn't think the free agents could help?
ESPN writer Bill Barnwell, a loud proponent of Ezekiel Elliott returning to Dallas, actually gave the Cowboys offense its due credit in ranking all 32 teams' supporting casts to determine which has the best WR-RB-TE combo.
The Cowboys checked in seventh, a tick lower than the Minnesota Vikings, who lost the aforementioned Cook and Adam Thielen this offseason.
That's inexplicable.
New column ($): My annual list ranking the league's best and worst sets of playmakers from 32-1 returns, including how the 28th-ranked Packers have one of the youngest passing games (per @MikeClayNFL's projections) of the last three decadeshttps://t.co/FTPPw1kH1v pic.twitter.com/r2ja1LJUEV
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) June 26, 2023
ESPN's Bill Barnwell's supporting cast rankings don't give Cowboys enough credit.
It's admittedly difficult to split hairs when Dallas ranked inside the top 10, but how on earth is Minnesota ranked ahead of them? Justin Jefferson is arguably the best receiver in football, but he's not enough (or shouldn't be) to propel the Vikings just outside the top five.
Which supporting case would you take? CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, Michael Gallup, Tony Pollard and Jake Ferguson/Luke Schoonmaker, or Jefferson, K.J Osborn, Jordan Addison (a rookie), Alexander Mattison and T.J. Hockenson?
In Lamb and Cooks, the Cowboys have two top-20 receivers. Additionally, Sports Illustrated ranked Pollard as a top-five running back. While that might be a little generous, he's comfortably knocking on the door of the top-10, if not higher.
While Gallup is trending down after two injury-riddled seasons, he's markedly more established than both Osborn and Addison. In a single season, Osborn owns career highs of 60 catches, 655 yards and seven touchdowns.
CeeDee Lamb recently lofted glowing praise toward his new teammates while discussing the impact of practicing alongside Brandin Cooks https://t.co/JTZAjCQmjW
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 23, 2023
Gallup, meanwhile, has career highs of 66 catches, 1,107 yards and six scores. He also has two seasons eclipsing 800 yards.
The Vikings clearly have the better TE room, but what does that matter when Dallas has the superior receivers and running backs?
The 49ers checked in at No. 1 on Barnwell's list, followed by the Bengals, Eagles, Seahawks and Chargers, respectively. That's the correct order, but Barnwell got it all wrong by placing the Vikings ahead of the Cowboys after Minnesota lost a four-time Pro Bowl running back and one of the best red zone WRs in the league.
More Cowboys news and analysis:
manual