Cowboys QB Dak Prescott makes big proclamation he probably can't keep

Prescott's comment may have been tongue-in-cheek. Throughout the offseason, however, the 32-year-old QB has made it clear he believes Dallas is a championship contender.  

After the Philadelphia Eagles won their second Super Bowl in February, Prescott said there isn't a massive gap between the Cowboys and their NFC East rival.

Despite Prescott's confidence, it's hard to envision the Cowboys threatening the Eagles or the Rams as one of the NFC's top teams. 

The Cowboys went 7-10 last season, missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 season.

Prescott suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in 2024, missing nine games. The 2023 second-team All-Pro could rebound with new star wide receiver George Pickens. Still, a coaching change may make that more challenging. 

This offseason, Dallas rookie head coach Brian Schottenheimer replaced Mike McCarthy. While it's just preseason, the team looked sloppy in the coach's first game. During the 31-21 road loss to the Rams, the Cowboys committed 11 penalties for 83 yards. 

The contract standoff with EDGE Micah Parsons, who's entering the final year of his rookie deal, is lingering over the team. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones indicated they hadn't made any progress before Saturday's loss.

"I'm glad to see [Parsons is] working out, in shape, and feels great, and so all of that's good," the owner told Kristi Scales of KRLD-FM in Dallas. "And I don't have anything to comment on." 

The Rams and Eagles, meanwhile, don't have as many problems as the Cowboys, making their path to a championship seem much easier. 

As of Sunday morning, FanDuel Sportsbook gives the Eagles the best odds (+360) to win the NFC and the Rams the fourth best (+950). The Cowboys have +2200 odds. 

Prescott should consider lowering expectations. It may be challenging for the Cowboys to make the playoffs this season, let alone the NFC Championship Game.