When a team dominates its competition and consistently wins championships, as the Kansas City Chiefs have done – reaching five Super Bowls in seven seasons with Patrick Mahomes as the starter – fans should learn to appreciate it, because those years don’t always come back. Take the Dallas Cowboys, for example, who won three Super Bowls in the ’90s but haven’t even reached the NFC Championship Game since their last title in January of 1996. Or the San Francisco 49ers, who haven’t won since 1994 and have lost three Super Bowls since then. A team in a similar situation is the New England Patriots, who, after 19 seasons and six Super Bowls won with Tom Brady, have missed the playoffs three years in a row and are one of the worst teams in the league.
The Key to the Cowboys’ Future According to Parsons
If the Cowboys haven’t made a deep playoff run in the last four years, it’s certainly not Micah Parsons‘ fault. Since arriving in 2021, he has shown his talent by winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year award and becoming just the fourth player in history to record 10+ sacks in each of his first four seasons. That’s why Parsons, one of the team’s best players and captains, shared his perspective on how they can improve for the future, focusing on helping young players. “We need to develop these young guys, and that, you know, comes down to the players. We players need to do a better job of developing young guys and creating a winning culture.”
Entering the season, the Cowboys ranked 21st in the NFL in terms of the oldest roster, with an average age of 26.3. The decision to promote Brian Schottenheimer to head coach gives the team a chance to establish a new culture and begin a rebuild – but with key players already signed for the next seasons, including Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs and Parsons, who will likely sign the richest contract for a defensive player in NFL history this offseason.
A Highly Competitive NFC East in the Coming Years
The Cowboys desperately need to put their disappointing season behind them and focus on the future, especially with two teams in their division – the Commanders and the Eagles – making it to the NFC Championship Game. Dallas holds the No. 12 overall pick, and given their lack of a strong running game last season, it makes sense that Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty could be the newest addition to Jerry Jones’ team.
The Eagles will be playing in their second Super Bowl in the last two seasons, and with Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley, they will remain contenders for years to come. The Commanders, with future Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels and plenty of salary cap space to bolster their roster, will also be a threat in the NFC. Meanwhile, the Giants hold the No. 3 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft and have a young roster that is theoretically just one good quarterback away from breaking their streak of only two playoff appearances in the last 13 years.