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Dallas Cowboys 2023 draft review: Opening statements left plenty to be desired
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The 5 best Dallas Cowboys draft picks of the Jerry Jones era, including 4 Hall of Famers
The 2024 NFL draft is right around the corner and with the No. 24 overall pick the Dallas Cowboys have a chance at striking gold.
As the draft nears, let’s look back at the top five draft picks during Jerry Jones’ ownership of the Cowboys.
1. Troy Aikman
Draft: 1989, first round, first overall
Position: Quarterback
The first player the Cowboys selected under the ownership of Jerry Jones became the most successful quarterback in franchise history. Aikman wasn’t the most athletic quarterback ever to wear the star on his helmet. He wasn’t the most mobile or statistically the most accurate. But the team captured three Super Bowl titles during his leadership, and Aikman thrived in big games.
The Cowboys won the Lombardi trophy every time Aikman led them to the Super Bowl, including Super Bowl XXVII when he was named MVP. He compiled an 11-4 career record in postseason starts. And though the Cowboys were not a good team upon Aikman’s arrival, he teamed up with Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith to quickly turn the franchise’s fortunes around.
After a rugged rookie season during which he lost all 11 starts, Aikman went 94-60 for the remainder of his regular-season career. He held or tied 47 club passing records at his retirement.
2. Emmitt Smith
Draft: 1990, first round, 17th overall
Position: Running back
No back in NFL history has rushed for more yards than Smith. And given the changes in the game since Smith’s retirement, it’s a record that could stand the test of time. Smith finished his career with 18,355 yards on the ground and 164 touchdowns.
He wasn’t the flashiest back of his generation, but he was far and away the most durable and consistent. Smith announced his arrival with a season that earned him offensive rookie of the year. He led the NFL in rushing four times, broke the 1,000-yard barrier in a season 11 times and was both league and Super Bowl MVP during the 1993 season.
In addition to his accomplishments on the ground, Smith caught 515 passes for another 3,224 yards and 11 touchdowns in his career.
3. Larry Allen
Draft: 1994, second round, 46th overall
Position: Guard
Allen is the rare athlete who was twice named to all-decade teams, first for the 1990s and then again in the 2000s. He was All-Pro seven seasons and made 11 trips to the Pro Bowl (10 as a Cowboy), a franchise record he held alone for more than a decade. Tight end Jason Witten tied the mark with his 11th berth after the 2017 season. Allen, a hulking lineman, blocked for eight of Emmitt Smith’s 11 seasons surpassing 1,000 yards rushing.
He played every position but center during his Cowboys career and was named to the Pro Bowl as a tackle and a guard. Bruce Matthews and Chris Hinton are the only other players in NFL history to pull off the two-position Pro Bowl combo. In a sport known for brute strength, Allen is legendary. He was able to bench press 700 pounds and squat lift 900 during his playing days.
Amazingly, at 325 pounds, he had some wheels, too:
I’ve seen this video too many times to count and every time my favorite part are the announcers saying “LARRY ALLEN” in pure astonishment after he runs down this linebacker. pic.twitter.com/8UjzVVh3pU
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) July 6, 2018
4. DeMarcus Ware
Draft: 2005, first round, 11th overall
Position: Outside linebacker/defensive end
Few players have gotten to the quarterback more in their career than Ware. He totaled 117 sacks in nine seasons with the Cowboys, making him the franchise’s all-time leader. He recorded double-digit sacks in seven consecutive seasons, only the fifth person in NFL history to accomplish that feat.
It took the Cowboys linebacker 113 games to reach the 100-sack plateau. Hall of Famer Reggie White (96 games) is the only player in league history to get there quicker. A Pro Bowl fixture before leaving for the Broncos, he made seven consecutive trips for Dallas. Ware retired after the 2016 seasons with 138.5 career sacks, the eighth most in NFL history.
In August of 2023 Ware joined the first three entries on this list in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor shortly after.
5. Jason Witten
Draft: 2003, third round, 69th overall
Position: Tight end
In 2012, he set the NFL single-season record for catches by a tight end. In 2015 he surpassed 1,000 receptions in his career. Witten spent the first 16 years of his NFL career with the Cowboys, with a one-year break to go to the Monday Night Football booth. His 1,215 receptions rank fourth in league history and is a franchise record. Witten also holds club records for yards receiving (12,977), most receptions in a single game (18), most games played (239) and most consecutive starts (179).
Witten played the final games of his career as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders, signing a one-day contract with Dallas to retire in 2021. Since his retirement he had a stint in the broadcast booth before starting his journey through the high school coaching ranks. His success continued: As head coach of Argyle Liberty Christian, he led the Warriors to the TAPPS Div. II state championship title.
More from the 2024 draft:
— Dallas Cowboys 2023 draft review: Opening statements left plenty to be desired
— The 2024 NFL draft’s best offensive linemen, including Joe Alt, JC Latham and others
— Potential Dallas Cowboys targets for each round of the NFL draft
— Calvin Watkins’ seven-round Cowboys mock draft: Boosting OL early; Speedy Day 2 pick?
—2024 NFL mock draft roundup: See whom experts say Cowboys will select at No. 24
Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
The Dallas Cowboys boasted one of the best offenses in the NFL this past season, but it wasn’t enough to get them into the playoffs. Even with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Javonte Williams, they were unable to make up for their porous defense, finishing the season 7-9-1.
This offseason, Dallas was on a mission to fix that defense. Jerry Jones vowed he would put in the work and while they might not have an elite unit, they definitely look improved on paper.
With the biggest moves this offseason done, let’s rank the position groups for the Cowboys, which begins with the most obvious strength.
Wide Receiver
CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are arguably the best duo in the game, which makes this the Cowboys’ strongest position on its own. Throw in Ryan Flournoy, who had a breakout season in 2025, and it looks even better.
Dallas has depth beyond this as well, with KaVontae Turpin, who had 396 yards receiving last year, as their WR4. Even rookie seventh-round pick Anthony Smith has some upside.
Safety
Rookie Caleb Downs immediately makes this group better, but he’s not the only addition. The Cowboys also signed Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke in free agency. For good measure, they also have Malik Hooker as they turned a perennial weakness into a strength this offseason.
Quarterback
Dak Prescott carries this group, especially after another spectacular season. Behind Prescott, however, the Cowboys are still strong with Joe Milton III and Sam Howell. Either player could wind up as the QB2 and could keep the offense going in the short-term.
Defensive Line
Defensive tackle has been a weakness for years, but Jones decided that had to change. Entering 2026, Dallas has Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, Otitto Ogbonnia, Jonathan Bullard, and rookie LT Overton, which is a solid group.
Offensive Line
The interior of the Dallas offensive line could make this one of the best groups overall with Cooper Beebe, Tyler Smith, and Tyler Guyton all standing out at their respective positions.
The problem is that offensive tackle has some concerns. Tyler Guyton hasn’t lived up to his draft status and Terence Steele hasn’t played up to his contract. Drew Shelton could eventually take over for one, but the rookie needs time to develop.
EDGE
There’s not an All-Pro on the edge like there was when Micah Parsons was in Dallas, but the group is much deeper this season. Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Malachi Lawrence, and James Houston can all have big roles this season. They’re even going to try Marist Liufau on the edge, but the depth might be an issue for him.
Tight End
Jake Ferguson had eight touchdowns in 2025, which was huge. The problem is that he struggled with ball security, hardly had any yards after the catch, and finished with an average of just 7.3 yards per reception.
Luke Schoonmaker has been the TE2, but he could be pushed by Brevyn Spann-Ford. Undrafted free agent Michael Trigg is a player to watch, but he’s unlikely to produce much as a rookie.
Cornerback
Defensive coordinator Christian Parker is a fan of Shavon Revel, and if he can turn him into a starter, that would be huge for this position.
Right now, there are far too many questions, with the durability of DaRon Bland being chief among them.
Entering OTAs, there’s a chance free agent pickup Cobie Durant could be their best option at cornerback. He’s a solid addition, but they need someone else to step up as well.
Linebacker
We recently noted that linebacker remains the greatest need on this team. They did a great job by trading for Dee Winters and rookie Jaishawn Barham could wind up being a great fit.
That said, they need DeMarvion Overshown to stay healthy for this group to succeed. If he misses time, their lack of depth will hurt them.
Running Back
Linebacker might be the primary need, but running back comes in last here due to the concerns behind Javonte Williams.
There’s no denying that Williams is a stud. He broke out in 2025 with 1,201 yards but the depth is questionable. If second-year back Jaydon Blue improves, this position group would climb the ranks in a hurry. For now, however, there are too many question marks.
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Morton started 15 games in 1972 for an injured Staubach, who eventually returned in the playoffs. The Cowboys decided to trade Morton in 1974 to the Giants, who sent back a first-round pick, which turned out to be the No. 2 overall pick in 1975. The Cowboys used that selection to take Randy White, a 10-time Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer.
Ironically enough, White’s best game was likely Super Bowl XII, when he was named Co-MVP with Harvey Martin. The Cowboys’ Doomsday defense dominated the Broncos, who were quarterbacked by Morton.
Overall, Morton played for the Cowboys, Giants and Broncos before officially retiring at the end of the 1982 season.
His career ended with 27,908 passing yards, ranking him 71st in NFL history, just ahead of Hall of Famer Joe Namath (27,663).
With the official NFL schedule coming this week, the Dallas Cowboys have revealed when, where and against who their Week 1 contest will be.
The Cowboys announced that they will square off against the New York Giants on the road in Week 1, with the game set for Sunday, Sept. 13, at 7:20 p.m. CT. So, it’s prime time for the Cowboys to start the season.
This is the second game we know about for the Cowboys this year. Of course, we know they will be playing on Thanksgiving, also.
The official schedule will drop on May 14, the NFL announced last week. Schedules for all 32 teams will be revealed on ESPN and the NFL Network, but each team will unveil its own schedule on social media, also.
The Cowboys were always likely to play a road game in Week 1 because of an Usher and Chris Brown concert taking place at AT&T Stadium that week.
Dallas will also be impacted by an Ed Sheeran concert in Week 7, so that’s another potential road game. They could also play on Monday or Thursday that week, or have a bye.
Cowboys’ strength of schedule
According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, the Cowboys are not going to have an easy road to make the postseason.
The Cowboys have the fourth-toughest schedule in the NFL going into the 2026 season, with only the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers having tougher slates.
Dallas’ schedule is also the third-toughest in the NFC, and the most difficult in the NFC East.
Sharp does his strength of schedule rankings based on win totals from Vegas oddsmakers rather than utilizing the previous season’s records because that metric doesn’t factor in offseason changes.
The Cowboys will play home games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.
On the road, Dallas will square off against the Giants, Eagles, Commanders, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers.
Of those opponents, seven of them made the postseason in 2025, a list that includes the Jaguars, 49ers, Eagles, Texans, Rams, Seahawks and Packers.
All of those teams should be as good in 2026, and teams like the Colts, Titans, Ravens, Bucs, Giants and Commanders have a very real chance to be improved as well.
It won’t be an easy road for Dallas to get back to the playoffs in 2026, but there’s at least hope following a defensive overhaul.
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