Cowboys Rank At Top of NFL 'Best Offseason’ List - ESPN

The Dallas Cowboys pursued the NFL offseason with a "low-risk high-reward" approach, trading for cornerback Stephon Gilmore and wide receiver Brandin Cooks.

Any time an NFL team can acquire a former Defensive Player of the Year, it's a win. 

Add a consistent 1,000+ yard wide receiver over six of his career nine seasons, and that's a successful offseason in anybody's eyes. 

That's exactly what the Dallas Cowboys did following their second consecutive NFL Divisional Round exit, trading for veterans Stephon Gilmore and Brandin Cooks. 

ESPN recently ranked the league's best and (worst) offseasons, with Dallas finishing at up top No. 3 behind the Washington Commanders and Miami Dolphins. 

"The Cowboys used a closing financial window to add two veteran standouts," ESPN writes. "It has become common to talk about teams deriving value from quarterbacks while they play on rookie deals. For years, Dallas had Dak Prescott making midround-pick money while he was producing as an above-average-to-Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback, which made him one of the most valuable players in all of football."

Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, cornerback Trevon Diggs and two-time All Pro "Lionbacker" Micah Parsons are among the group of young players due for raises in the coming years. 

But only giving up Day 3 draft picks in the process, those aforementioned  trades come at a bargain for a team that has posted a 24-10  regular season mark over the past two season. 

As ESPN writes, “They filled two key holes in their lineup by trading for veterans Brandin Cooks and Stephon Gilmore. … to add players in their prime to a championship contender, this certainly feels like a pair of well-timed additions."

Dallas looks to advance to its first NFC Championship Game (and Super Bowl) since the 1995 season. And “winning the off-season” is a step toward that.

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You can find Riley Sheppard on Twitter @RileyDSheppard

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