Cowboys Projected Starting Lineup Offense: What If Dak Prescott-Led Dallas Is Still Great?

Cowboys Projected Starting Lineup Offense: What If Dak Prescott-Led Dallas Is Still Great?

New York Giants v Dallas Cowboys / Wesley Hitt/GettyImages

FRISCO - It's March. Not really a time to panic - which isn't fun anyway.

It's March. Not really a time to assemble a starting lineup - but fun to do nevertheless.

So as the Dallas Cowboys trudge through an uneventful March, the result of NFL free agency inactivity, and eye plans in April for the NFL Draft, we project. ... and by the way, so do the teams themselves, so we and Cowboys Nation are well within our rights. ...

Let's do offense here, and defense later, with vigorous head-nods to the holes that must be filled ... but also to the core group that has been assembled for a Cowboys team that hopes to make the playoffs (and beyond?) for a fourth consecutive season.

The Cowboys' right-now starting lineup on offense ...

New York Giants v Dallas Cowboys / Wesley Hitt/GettyImages

Quarterback – Dak Prescott. That one's easy. ... even though the contract isn't.

Running back – Rico Dowdle. Dallas plans to draft help. (We could mention Hunter Luepke as the fullback, though he's not a starter, per se.

Receiver - CeeDee Lamb. What a great place to start.

Receiver - Brandin Cooks. There are rumors of Dallas moving on here. We don't understand 'em.

Receiver - Jalen Tolbert. Right? Not a fullback. Not a second tight end. A third wideout. And he's done the right things to get here ... with Jalen Brooks (and maybe a cheap vet?) giving chase.

Tight end - Jake Ferguson. He's got star quality.

Left tackle - This isn't good. Assuming Tyler Smith stays as a stud guard, this screams for Dallas to "draft for need'' in Round 1. But for now? Can Matt Waletzko be healthy? Can Asim Richards develop? Will Josh Ball ever do so?

Left guard - Tyler Smith. This is the "CeeDee Lamb'' of O-Linemen. He's so great here, maybe like Zack Martin, Dallas leaves well-enough alone. (No matter what Jerry Jones says.)

Center - Brock Hoffman. ... though T.J. Bass wants to fit into this group somewhere. Again, a draft-needly spot.

Right guard - New daddy Zack Martin is an institution. But rumors about a post-2024 retirement are floating about.

Right tackle – Terence Steele. Did not have the kind of year in 2023 that he's capable of. But this is a serious-minded worker. A professional. He'll keep getting better.

All rip-jobs of the Cowboys aside ... this is a stout group, the essence of which was arguably the best offense in the NFL last year. This can work. Really, it can.