Cowboys 'Underrated Super Bowl Contender': NFL's Best Core Ranked by ESPN

ESPN ranks the NFL's top roster cores, and following a busy offseason where do the Dallas Cowboys stack up?

It's been a long time since the Dallas Cowboys played in a NFC Championship game - also the last time they win a Super Bowl.

To put it in perspective, on January 28th, 1996 the average price of gas was just $1.25 per gallon, actor George Clooney just appeared in his first movie (From Dusk till Dawn,) and "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men was the number one song in America. 

Over this 27-year span, Dallas has started 25 different quarterbacks and has hired more head coaches (six) than it has recorded playoff victories (five).

However, a busy offseason has placed the Cowboys in elite company, according to ESPN, ranking them as the No. 6 best core in the NFL and a sleeper team this season.

"The Cowboys' core is a clear display of why they are a true -- perhaps even underrated -- Super Bowl contender," ESPN writes. "Prescott isn't at a (Patrick) Mahomes or (Josh) Allen level, but he's supported by a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Parsons, a star No. 1 wideout in Lamb and a future Hall of Fame offensive lineman in Martin. And no player has more interceptions over the past two seasons than Diggs (14)."

The list included the top five players from all 32 teams, including quarterback Dak Prescott, "Lion-backer" Micah Parsons, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, guard Zack Martin and cornerback Trevon Diggs, a group that ends up falling just below the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins. 

ESPN defines a "core'' as "the five most important players to a team -- the guys each roster is built around.'' And Mahomes' Chiefs land at No. 1.

Meanwhile, with this Dallas core still searching for its first NFC Championship appearance, if and when it comes to fruition it will certainly be ... "One Sweet Day.''

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You can find Riley Sheppard on Twitter @RileyDSheppard

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