By now, you will have at the very least seen the trailers for the new “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys” documentary.

The documentary comes out at a time of flux in Dallas. The team hasn’t reached the heights expected of the eye-watering salaries it has paid out and has underperformed by all measures.

Since 2015, the Cowboys are 2-5 in the play-offs and have missed the play-offs three times.

The roster has become expensive and appears to be reeling because the team has not taken full advantage of its wealth of talent.

Dak Prescott is entering his 10th year in the league. CeeDee Lamb is seeking to recapture the heights of his 2023-2024 season, which saw him become (at the time) the second-highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL, just behind Justin Jefferson. Then there is the matter of a currently unsigned, seemingly “want-away” Micah Parsons leading the defence.

This leads to the question: will the current Dallas Cowboys ever reach the lofty heights of those great teams from the 1970s and 1990s?

Contract Disputes and Ongoing Roster Issues

The Cowboys are many things, but you can’t say they are lacking in funds. In the documentary, Jerry Jones talks of the dark times when the team was losing money every day. Nowadays, they are a global brand with spending that is almost unmatched, were it not for the salary cap.

Players want to play for the Cowboys because of the global brand, yet the team has almost seemed reluctant to pay its biggest stars. Frequent off-season situations with Ezekiel Elliott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons are just a few examples.

Elliott held out in 2019 to become what was, at the time, the highest-paid running back in history, but Jerry made him work for it. Zeke ended up leaving in 2022, after all signs had pointed towards him being the next great Cowboys running back. He is now fighting to find a team in 2025.

History repeated itself in 2024 with Lamb, who held out for a long time before again getting paid. He is coming into the second year of that contract and looking to produce once more after a down year.

Then there is the Micah Parsons debarcle which only seems to be becoming another saga, eroding the trust between players, management and namely Jerry Jones. 

Which leads to the question why not pay them sooner to avoid the negative backlash by both media and fans?

Return of the High-Flying Offence?

Despite this expenditure, the team has failed to deliver, with their last play-off victory coming in 2023. Whether due to management or player failures, they have yet to capitalise on this expensive talent. Let’s take a look at how the 2025 roster is shaping up:

Dak Prescott

As a 4th-round pick in the 2016 draft, no one expected Dak to become “the guy,” and certainly not so soon with Tony Romo still at the helm. Since his breakout rookie year (3,667 yards, 23 TDs, and only 4 interceptions), there have been flashes of an elite NFL player. Yet that talent hasn’t translated into play-off success.

Key Metrics:

TDs:  Dak has only exceeded his rookie total in three of the following seasons (2019, 2021, and 2023).

Passing yards: Dak has surpassed his rookie passing yards in five of his following seasons (2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2024).

Completion percentage: Since his rookie year, he has surpassed that mark three times: 2020: 68.0%, 2021: 68.8% & 2023: 69.5%

Running back

With no true RB1 last year, Dallas struggled to get the ground game going. However, this off-season has seen a number of veterans, namely Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders join the team, alongside rookie Jaydon Blue out of Texas, who was drafted in the 5th round.

Jaydon Blue is already gathering momentum and plaudits for his camp display, having been likened to Chris Johnson. While there are two solid backs in Williams and Sanders, it will be interesting to see who wins the starting job.

Wide Receiver

CeeDee Lamb has consistently been “him” since entering the league. If anything, his case for greatness gets stronger this year with the addition of a running buddy in George Pickens from Pittsburgh. Pickens should draw more attention, leaving Dak’s favourite target with more one-on-one routes to the end zone.

Add to that a healthy Jake Ferguson at tight end with plenty of upside; if Dak can stay healthy this year, they shouldn’t have a problem moving the ball through the air.

Defense

While Parsons’ future remains uncertain, Dallas’s Defensive Coordinator, Matt Eberflus, has been building a top-10 defence. They started by re-signing star defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa and adding much-needed depth on the defensive line with former first-rounders Solomon Thomas and Dante Fowler.

They also went out into the market and traded for Kaiir Elam at cornerback and Kenneth Murray at linebacker.

How will that stack up against the opposition?

Their noisy division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, are going to be tough on opening night. If they show up for that match-up, it can set the tone for the season.

And boy, could the ‘Boys need it, as ESPN has ranked them with the fifth-strongest (hardest) schedule for 2025. 

New HC Brian Schottenheimer, Dak, and their men had better hope some of the pieces of the puzzle finally come together. Otherwise, this time next year, they could face another catastrophic reshuffle.