Cowboys vs. Eagles: 10 players who will define NFL's 2025 Thursday night opener

The 2025 NFL season is so close we can almost feel it.

The long offseason mercifully comes to a close on Thursday when the Dallas Cowboys and the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles kick things off at Lincoln Financial Field.

To get ready, here are 10 players who will define the Thursday night opener. 

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley

The 2024 Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year will be just as instrumental to the Eagles' offense this season as last, when he rushed for 2,005 yards in the regular season and added 499 more in the team's run to a Super Bowl LIX win.

He has a favorable matchup in Week 1.

Barkley gained 233 rushing yards against the Cowboys a season ago. In 12 career games versus Dallas, he has 165 carries, 814 yards (4.9 yards per carry) and three rushing touchdowns. NFL Pro projects Barkley to rush for 114.9 yards on Thursday, suggesting it's likely he continues to run straight through the Cowboys' defense.

Cowboys right guard Tyler Booker

After 11 seasons, seven-time first-team All-Pro and future Hall of Famer Zack Martin retired this offseason, creating a vacuum at right guard, with the Cowboys hoping they filled it with Booker. The No. 12 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, Booker, who played college football at Alabama, was Sports Info Solutions' top-ranked guard in this year's class and No. 14 overall prospect.

Per SIS data, Alabama gained 4.6 yards per rush when running behind Booker in 2024, including an average of 2.4 yards before contact per attempt. His interior matchup against a stout Eagles front will be paramount to the Cowboys finding balance in their offensive attack.

First-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer spoke highly of his rookie this week, telling the Cowboys team website, "Book is ready for the challenge, and it'll be a fun one to watch."

Eagles linebacker Jihaad Campbell

Another rookie first-round pick, Campbell, who also attended Alabama, fell into the Eagles' lap at No. 31 overall. The 2024 first-team All-SEC linebacker ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash at this year's NFL Scouting Combine, tied for the third-fastest among linebackers at the 2025 event.

Ahead of Thursday's opener, 2024 first-team All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun discussed playing alongside the speedy, rangy rookie and said, "We're about to cover a lot of ground... That's for sure."

"We have enough range and speed to make every play," Baun added, setting a high bar for Campbell to cross.

Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter

Carter might give Booker several "Welcome to the league" moments. Last season, the 2023 first-rounder generated 53 pressures (h/t Pro Football Focus) and was credited with 27 stops, or tackles that constitute a failure for the offense. According to NFL Pro data, Carter tied for 11th in quick quarterback pressures (under three seconds).

Cowboys defensive tackle Kenny Clark

Clark was traded to the Cowboys last Thursday as part of last week's stunning Micah Parsons deal. The three-time Pro Bowl nose tackle gets an early opportunity to make a difference in Dallas against the dominant Eagles rushing attack. 

Per NFL Pro, Barkley averaged five yards per carry and scored seven touchdowns on carries between the tackles last season, while the Cowboys allowed 5.1 yards per carry between the tackles.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts

Hurts has won three of his past four starts against the Cowboys, including 34-6 last November in Dallas. (He missed a Week 17 game with a concussion.) The Super Bowl LIX-winning quarterback has never lost in Week 1, going a perfect 4-0. Hurts is 87-of-134 (64.9 percent) for 955 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions, and the Eagles have averaged 32.3 points per game.

Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell

The individual matchups between Mitchell and Cowboys receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens will be worth the price of admission alone. As a rookie last year, Mitchell allowed one reception for five yards to Lamb, a 2023 first-team All-Pro. (h/t PFF)

As NBC Sports Philadelphia's Dave Zangaro noted, the Cowboys may move Lamb to the slot to avoid a matchup with Mitchell on the perimeter, which could force the 2024 Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up onto Pickens in his Cowboys debut.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott

After trading Parsons, the Cowboys might not have much of a defense, making Prescott's health in his return from a season-ending hamstring injury crucial for Dallas to have a puncher's chance in 2025.

Prescott has only lost twice in his past 10 games against the Eagles, averaging 293.3 pass yards per game while completing 69.9 percent of his attempts with 22 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens

Having worn out his welcome with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pickens gets a second chance with the Cowboys. Considering Dallas will likely trail most of the game (it's tied for Week 1's largest underdog at -8.5), the fourth-year wideout should get several targets as he aims to make a splash in his Cowboys debut.

Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams

Next man up. With Parsons no longer on the roster, it's Williams' time to shine at edge-rusher. The 2022 second-rounder missed all of last season with a torn ACL he suffered in July 2024. Williams finished fifth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2022, and he has 8.5 career sacks and 15 tackles for loss.

"I just want to be great, man," Williams recently told the Cowboys team website. 

After last week's shocking trade, he'll have the opportunity to reach his goal.