DALLAS — No matter how much it annoys the fans of other teams across the country, the Dallas Cowboys own the moniker of America’s Team. And as the country is celebrating the Fourth of July, what better way to salute the NFL’s glamor franchise, the one that embodies the United States of America more than any other team, than by checking out the most explosive players for Dallas in 2023.
The mid-summer holiday is all about fireworks and the Cowboys have a team full of stars who can set them off at any time on the field. Here is a look at a handful of the biggest playmakers for the upcoming season:
Tony Pollard
There’s little question about it, Pollard is now the lead runner in the Cowboys’ Texas Coast offense after two years of settling for being the change of pace RB behind Ezekiel Elliott. Pollard has been one of the team’s most explosive players in the offense over the past two seasons, scoring on six plays of 30 or more yards.
The 26-year-old runner also had 31 rushes of 10+ yards last year, and Pollard was third in the league in yards per carry among those RBs with at least 100 carries at 5.2 on his way to his first 1,000-yard season.
Without him on the field in 2022, the Cowboys lacked speed on offense, and it was evident in their playoff loss.
CeeDee Lamb
More was put on Lamb’s shoulders during his third season, and he came through with flying colors. The Cowboys lined Lamb up all over to find the mismatches and the WR surpassed his career highs in catches with 107, yards at 1,359, and scores with nine.
Lamb was one of the best big play WRs in the league with three touchdowns of 30-yards or more and he had a gain of 20+ yards in 13 of the Cowboys 17 games.
The duo of Pollard and Lamb combined to be one of the top tandems in the league that can take it to the house.
The elevation to wideout No. 1 was an impressive feat from Lamb, considering Dallas’ passing game didn’t have many threats opposite him to take away attention.
Brandin Cooks
Watching the Cowboys’ offense last season, it was easy to see that they needed more pure speed. The trade for Cooks was the team’s response to find exactly what the passing game lacked. Cooks isn’t a workhorse like Lamb, but his speed should help open the offense.
Over the course of his career, Cooks has touchdowns of 50, 54, 57, 60, 64, 65, 71, 87, and 98 yards, so he knows how to use his quickness to make plays. That speed has already been apparent to his new quarterback Dak Prescott, as the franchise QB already hooked up with Cooks for deep plays at minicamp.
The Cowboys needed a home run threat on the outside and Cooks appears to be the man for the job.
Micah Parsons
No one says that to be an explosive player you must play offense, because the Dallas defense has one of the most exciting players in the league in Parsons. The speed, burst, intensity, and hustle from Parsons remains one of the most inspiring things to watch on Sundays.
Parsons’ style of play last season saw him save a touchdown by chasing down a pass-catcher at the one-yard line to keep points off the board against the Detroit Lions. The following week, Parsons had the play of the game when he picked up a fumble, made the heads-up play to know he wasn’t touched and returned it 36-yards for the score.
When Parsons is on the field, any play can become a highlight reel moment.
Trevon Diggs
Nothing is more momentum-shifting in an NFL game than a takeaway and that has become Diggs’s speciality. Diggs is one of the most exciting cornerbacks in the game, picking off 17 passes in his first three seasons and returning two for scores. Defensive scores are often game changers and Diggs continues to provide electricity to the Dallas defense. Those 17
interceptions have Diggs tied for tops in the NFL since he entered the league ahead of the 2020 season.
Unfortunately, as good as Diggs has been, he’s also given up a good many explosive plays with his aggressive style. That brings as much excitement for offenses as it does for the Cowboys when Diggs makes a play.
Dallas will take the bad to go along with Diggs’ ability to make big plays as he remains a dangerous defender. With the acquisition of former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore to pair with Diggs, QBs run the risk of being BBQ’d no matter who they challenge in the upcoming season.
Which player do you think is the most dynamic for the Dallas Cowboys ahead of the 2023 season? Share your thoughts with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.
