Over the past couple of weeks, we have heard a lot of people put Dallas in the Super Bowl conversation, and it's got to stop.
The NFL offseason is an interesting place, particularly between minicamp ending and training camp beginning, and as always, the Dallas Cowboys have been front and center.
In an offseason that has seen the Cowboys make some good moves both on and off the field defensively, with the hiring of Christian Parker, the drafting of Caleb Downs, along with some nice free agency pieces, hope is high.
And that hope isn't just coming from Cowboys Nation, folks; it's coming from everywhere all over the league.
With the offense one of the best in football thanks to Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Jake Ferguson, and Javonte Williams, the thought is that if Parker can make the defense competent, Dallas is a playoff team.
That isn't an unrealistic bar to set, is it? After a 7-9-1 season in 2025, to make the jump into the playoffs should absolutely be on the menu.
But of course, when it comes to the Cowboys, everyone goes a little bit overboard.
Over the past couple of weeks, the Cowboys have been mentioned in the same breath as the Super Bowl. Yep, that's right.
Now, training camp hasn't even started yet, but people are saying the Cowboys can go to the Super Bowl.
Really?
The Cowboys arrived in Oxnard today, will fully report on Tuesday and will engage in their first workout on Wednesday.
Can't we let the cake bake?
I'm as hopeful as the next person about what Dallas can be under Brian Schottenheimer and Parker in 2026, but let the cake bake, please. For a franchise that, after three straight 12-5 seasons, couldn't get to the NFC Championship game, a team coming off a 7-9-1 year will go one further?
Now, the football gods might shine down on the Cowboys, and that could happen, but if we are being realistic, Dallas' top priority should be a couple of playoff wins and go from there.
We know all about the 30-year drought, and it will be broken eventually (I think), but to put so much pressure on Parker, who is a rookie defensive coordinator, and Downs (also a rookie) to help spearhead this uptick in form, while certainly possible, I think needs to be brought back into reality.
Could Dallas boast a top-five offense and an average defense in 2026? Sure, and that will likely mean playoffs. I'm fine with that.
But going all the way to and winning the Super Bowl? Pump the brakes for now folks.
