Heres why the Dallas Cowboys are the team to beat in the NFC in 2017

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The surprised most in 2016 by capturing the NFCs top seed behind exceptional performances from rookies and . In 2017 they wont surprise anyone, and it wont matter. Dallas is the team to beat in the NFC. This is more than a little premature; after all, NFL free agency will drastically alter the NFL landscape, and the Cowboys are proof about the difference the draft can make on a teams immediate production. Its also very easy to look at the Cowboys and see a team with a huge window that just opened up. Adding Prescott and Elliott behind an offensive line anchored by an absurdly youthful group of studs -- (26), Zach Martin (26), (25) and Lael Collins (23) arent even in Corey Bojorquez Jersey their primes yet -- completely flipped the script of how we believed this team would approach each season. Jerry Jones was mortgaging the future for one last run with virtually every year and then he struck gold in the draft and set up the Cowboys for the long haul. The Cowboys should have a five-year Super Bowl window with this core of offensive players. On the other hand, ask someone like Dan Marino how long a window in the NFL really lasts. In his second season in the NFL, Marino threw for more 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns, leading Miami to the title game. The would lose to the 49ers but surely theyd be back a few more times with their 23-year-old quarterback winging it around. Marino would never appear in another Super Bowl. Its a cautionary tale worth remembering, but one that might not really apply for Dallas, a team positioned to be the best in the NFC this year. Lets examine why. The offense is loaded for the long haulThe age and talent on offense for the Cowboys heading into 2017 is just incredible. Elliott is a top-five running back after just his first season. Despite a slow start, he led the league in rushing (1,631 yards), even though he also sat during Week 17. He is fast, strong, an underrated catcher, a tremendous blocker and if he gets in the open field he is going to leave you hanging. Elliott basically patented the Im more athletic than you hurdle in his rookie season.The only real concern for Elliott is the wear and tear of a long rookie season. He also led the NFL in carries (322) and the NFL has not been kind to running backs who blow past an admittedly arbitrary 300-carry number. The Cowboys willingne s to run Zeke like that in the regular season made their decision to limit his playoff carries (22, when he was averaging 5.7 yards per carry against the nickel defense) even more surprising. Finding talented backups to le sen his regular-season load is a must to keep him healthy for the long haul and the future.On the offensive line, theres little change coming. is a free agent and, at age 27, will probably find plenty of interested suitors on the market. The for defensive help but held off -- and when Collins went down with a toe injury, they were bailed out in a big way. (33) is the only lineman over 27 and has one more year left on his deal. The Cowboys need to continue finding depth in the draft and injury regre sion could be a concern, but by and large there is no reason to expect the offensive line to struggle in 2017.If the line holds up its end of the bargain, theres a trickle-down effect on the rest of the offense. No sophomore slumpsIts not unreasonable to be concerned with Prescott taking a step back. He was phenomenal for a quarterback, and not just a rookie quarterback. to start the season without an interception. Every step of the way, he managed to shrug off critics and step up his game in critical spots.Even though he made plenty of rookie mistakes, Prescott showed a knack for . DEZ. BRYANT. finds #88 in the end zone to tie the game! NFL (@NFL) Nothing was too big for either Prescott or Elliott. Teams will have more time to adjust to the Cowboys offensive approach and could potentially limit Prescott. But if the Cowboys are doing what they want to do -- establish the run behind the offensive line with a healthy, dominant Elliott -- then good luck thinking about how to slow down the pa sing game. None of this even mentions . Bryant is still just 28 years old and he looked like his old dominant self for the second half of the season. He averaged five catches, 73 yards and a score in his final seven games (not counting Week 17 when the starters barely played).A full season of dominant Dez should keep Dak from dropping off too much. Room to improve the defenseThe good news for the Cowboys is the limited lo ses on offense. Leary, , , and are the most notable names leaving on that side of the ball.Defensively it gets a little tougher. Even though and -- both acquired in 2012 during a hyper-aggre sive offseason for Dallas -- never lived up to expectations, they are still starting bodies. and are free agents as well. So theres a lot of work to do. Good news: The Cowboys restructured several contracts to get underneath the projected cap. . Releasing Romo will clear either $ Lucas Patrick Jersey 5.1 million or $12 million depending on whether Dallas designates him a post-June 1 cut (they could still trade him, but a release seems most likely).After a Romo cut (post-June 1), Dallas would be at $151.8 million. and the Cowboys are looking at about $10 million in cap space to work with in free agency. Thats sub-optimal.That pick in the second round looks a lot more prudent right now, doesnt it? Smith, a linebacker, wont be playing in the secondary but he could be a bonus defensive addition. The cornerbacks available in free agency actually represent a pretty strong cla s and theres ample talent in the draft as well. So Dallas can retool on the fly.Let Bart Starr Jersey s not forget that the defense wasnt great to begin with in 2016 either. The Cowboys were a below-average team on defense, but just barely -- . Not every team is going to be loaded on both sides of the ball, and Dallas showed in 2016 it was capable of providing a defense that is better than the personnel (thanks Rod Marinelli) while also managing to have the offense a sist said defense. Clock-chewing drives are your friend.This is all a very friendly reminder not to judge any offseason moves before we see how they play out in the regular season. The Cowboys were when Romo went down. We saw how that worked out. The division isnt drastically improvingThe NFC East got a LOT better in 2016. Philadelphia was a frisky seven-win team. The won double-digit games to make the playoffs. The should have joined them except laid a couple eggs late.But is it getting better again this year?The Redskins might lose some critical offensive pieces in free agency ( , ). Washington is going to spend half of the offseason trying to figure out whether Cousins is going to get a new contract. Theres a lot of potential lo s in the front seven and the Redskins will need some strong work this offseason to make it a better group heading into next season.The will have in his second year, but there are worries about his mechanics and hes still lacking in terms of weapons. , and do not look like the answer. was really good down the stretch but he needs to be more consistent. Philly really needs to stay on the field. Carson Wentzs numbers with and without Lane Johnson on the field are pretty staggering Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) The defense could be facing some turnover with expected cuts ( ) and rumored trades ( ). Every year is a roster roller coaster with Philadelphia.The Giants outperformed their roster and didnt look like himself last year. got criticized for being on a boat, but he and are a strong point on this offense. The running game is not -- is perhaps in play, but is he a fit with how many three-wideout and shotgun sets they run? could be leaving in free agency, although that unit should still be dangerous because the secondary is one of the best in the league thanks to , and . Losing a presence up front wont help the back end however.The East just doesnt feel as wide open as it usually does this time of year. Theres a lot of ballgame left, but the Cowboys should be considered the frontrunners.
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