Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer. Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

2025 Dallas Cowboys projected win total, prediction

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated May 23, 2025 9:25 AM ET

Coming off a disappointing 7-10 season that ended without a playoff berth, the Dallas Cowboys will look to reclaim the NFC East in 2025. Per BetMGM, fans should temper their expectations.

Regular-season win total: 7.5

Outlook: For the first time since 2019, the Cowboys will start the regular season with a new head coach. Mike McCarthy was let go after leading the team to a 49-35 record in the regular season and a 1-3 record in playoff games.

He’s been replaced by Brian Schottenheimer, the team’s former offensive coordinator and son of legendary NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer. The former joined Dallas as a coaching analyst in 2022 before assuming coordinator duties in 2023.

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That year, quarterback Dak Prescott flirted with an MVP award, throwing for 4,516 yards and 36 touchdowns with a career-best 105.9 quarterback rating. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury against the Atlanta Falcons ended his season after eight games in 2024.

Per Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News, Prescott participated in on-field drills during Tuesday’s organized team activities and moved well while throwing passes to wide receivers.

One of those receivers was former Pittsburgh Steelers wideout George Pickens, who came over in an offseason trade. The Cowboys may have finally found their No. 2 receiver, as Pickens averaged 15.3 yards per catch and led the Steelers with 900 yards last season.

Just 24 years old and in the final year of his rookie contract, he should open things up for leading receiver CeeDee Lamb and a passing game that still ranked 11th without Prescott for most of last year.

Defensively, the team gave up the fifth-most yards (355.2) and second-most points (27.5) per game in 2024, something they hope will improve with the re-signing of defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa and the additions of veteran defensive ends Solomon Thomas and Dante Fowler Jr.

Our take: The Cowboys aren’t so far removed from three straight 12-win seasons from 2021-23 that they can’t make noise in the NFC East. There will be growing pains under Schottenheimer, but with a healthy quarterback, this team is too talented to win less than seven games.

Predicted win total: 9

Bruce Ewing

Bruce Ewing is 183 pounds of twisted steel and Happy Meals. His work has appeared on Yardbarker, 5th Down Fantasy, Inside the Iggles and MSN. Give a Philly fan a break and follow him on Twitter/X at @fantasybruce.

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