Many think the Cowboys are a long way away from contending for a Super Bowl, but ESPN's Dan Orlovsky thinks otherwise.
When it comes to the Dallas Cowboys and Super Bowl contention, you can nearly hear the collective laughter from other fan bases.
The Cowboys haven't even gotten close to an NFC Championship game over the last three decades, let alone a Super Bowl.
So, hearing people say that the Cowboys, especially after a 7-9-1 season in 2025, under Brian Schottenheimer, are close to a Super Bowl, likely isn't real.
But what if the Cowboys were closer than people thought?
Let's go through it.
The offense, led by Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Javonte Williams, was one of the best units in football for most of the 2025 season.
They were the reason the Cowboys won seven games, and had the defense been league average, not good, you could make the case Dallas was playoff-bound.
Hence why this offseason is such a huge one for the franchise. They won't get too many more bites at the apple with Dak, so they must make the most of it now.
And for ESPN's Dan Orlovsky, when asked if Dallas' Super Bowl window was closed (didn't think it was open, personally, after the last two seasons), he gave an interesting response.
"Absolutely not, I actually believe that Dallas is starting a brand-new Super Bowl window. I honestly do," Orlovsky said on ESPN's First Take. "I think Dallas, this coming season, gets average defense, they win 12 games next year.
"I think Dak Prescott is going to start a second chapter in his career. I honestly believe the Cowboys will get back to Super Bowl relevancy very quickly, and that Super Bowl window is very much going to be open 2026 and beyond."
Is Orlovsky right?
After the last two seasons, it is hard to believe the Cowboys' Super Bowl window is now open all of a sudden.
But you can make the case that if the offense under Brian Schottenheimer is what it was last season, a top-five unit for the most part, and the defense can improve to say, be 15th in the NFL, Dallas is a playoff team.
Super Bowl might be a little bit of a stretch.
But remember, the New England Patriots had back-to-back four-win seasons, then went 14-3 in the regular season and are in the Super Bowl.
So, the road back might not be that long. After all, this team has talent on both sides of the ball.
Is Schottenheimer about to lead the Cowboys into their next Super Bowl window?
That is quite the conversation starter.