It’s not often that a divisional champ with the highest-scoring offense enters the next season with this much uncertainty, but the Dallas Cowboys continue to be the standard-bearer for offseason drama. CeeDee Lamb is finally inked after a lengthy public staring contest with Jerry Jones, but despite his return and quarterback Dak Prescott coming off his best career year, Dallas opens the season as road underdogs against the Cleveland Browns.
The lack of faith is likely tied to their paper-thin depth and ongoing contract discomfort.
Jones proclaimed the team was all-in after being beaten by the Packers in the playoffs but spent the least amount of money in the league on acquisitions this offseason. Dallas lost running back Tony Pollard, wide receiver Michael Gallup, safety Jayron Kearse, linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, and edge rushers Dante Fowler Jr. and Dorance Armstrong, without any notable backfill in their wake. Ezekiel Elliott is their lead back once more, and after Lamb on the depth chart, Brandin Cooks is the next-best receiving option.
Prescott is in a contract year and cannot be franchise-tagged, and so is All-Pro guard Zack Martin. DeMarcus Lawrence joins them on that list, and the anchor of last year’s fifth-best scoring defense, Micah Parsons, will be in the same boat next year. Jerry’s World lacks stability going into Week 1.
But the Browns have their own mess on their hands and at the most critical position to boot. Deshaun Watson, who has played all of 12 games for Cleveland since they gave him the GDP of a small country three years ago, had season-ending surgery on his throwing shoulder last November. He missed the final preseason game with arm soreness, and what work he has done looked mediocre, according to beat writers covering the team.
Jameis Winston is the next man up for the Browns, and running back Nick Chubb remains on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, recovering from a brutal knee injury last season. With Amari Cooper being the scariest weapon in the arsenal and the Cowboys’ top-tier defense now being marshaled by talented coordinator Mike Zimmer, the Browns will need a marquee showing from reigning DPOY Myles Garrett and their top-ranked defense to live up to the favorable spread.
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Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns odds
How to watch Cowboys vs. Browns
- Venue: Huntington Bank Field — Cleveland
- Time: 4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday
- TV: FOX
- Streaming: Watch live on Fubo (Save $30)
Expert picks for Cowboys vs. Browns
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(Photo of CeeDee Lamb: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)
