After winning the NFC East in 2023, the Cowboys again have high expectations going into the fall. However, in part due to a drama-filled offseason, players and fans have started to take stock in the organization.
Here are the franchise’s five most valuable people for 2024:
5. OT Tyler Guyton
If this year’s first-round pick can’t protect the quarterback’s blind side, the quarterback may move on in 2025. For years, that responsibility fell on All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith, but now that he’s a Jet, the rookie appears to be doing whatever it takes to win the job.
According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, Guyton moved to Frisco, Texas, two days after the draft to begin training. When OTAs ended for rookies in mid-June, he stayed in town to work with private trainer Duke Manyweather and Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson as part of the seventh annual OL Masterminds Summit.
At 6-foot-7 and 322 pounds, Guyton looks the part of a left tackle, but played the position sparingly in college. He’ll need to come up big for the Cowboys to succeed in 2024.
4. WR CeeDee Lamb
Lamb may be the most talented player on the team, but right now, those talents have gone missing while the 23-year-old receiver sits out training camp in search of a new contract. Lamb finished as the NFL’s second-leading receiver with 1,749 yards in 2023, but hasn’t been with the team in 2024.
Coming off his third straight 1,000-yard season, Lamb would like to be paid like Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson, who signed a $140M contract in the offseason. The problem is Lamb will be a free agent in 2025 and vulnerable to the team’s franchise tag.
Without him, the team’s offense could be in real trouble. The Cowboys’ second-leading receiver, tight end Jake Ferguson, scored just five touchdowns last year and Tony Pollard, the team’s leading rusher, signed with Tennessee.
If owner Jerry Jones hadn’t claimed to be in “no hurry” to sign his leading receiver, Lamb would easily rank higher on this list.
3. LB Micah Parsons
Parsons has led the team in sacks since joining the team as a first-round pick in 2021. He’s made it to the quarterback 40.5 times over the past three years while forcing seven fumbles and making 213 tackles.
With two first-team All-Pro nominations and three Pro Bowl appearances in his pocket, Parsons would also like a new contract, but he’s signed through 2025 after the team exercised his $21M, fifth-year option.
That last part is telling considering the team’s starting quarterback and No. 1 wide receiver remain unsigned beyond this season. As the leader of a defense that allowed the fifth-fewest yards and points in 2023, Parsons will continue to play a big role for the team in 2024.
2. QB Dak Prescott
While Prescott hasn’t enjoyed the playoff success fans have hoped for, he’s served the team well over the past eight seasons. His 29,459 passing yards are third-most in franchise history and he finished last year as the NFL’s third-leading passer with a league-high 36 touchdowns.
Like Lamb, Prescott will be a free agent in 2025, but unlike his favorite target, the team cannot keep him with a franchise tag. He’ll count for $40M against the cap whether or not he remains with the team in 2025, which is something ownership needs to address.
1. Owner Jerry Jones
They don’t call AT&T Stadium “Jerry’s World” for no reason. At 81 years old, Jones remains one of the most influential owners in team sports. And as president and general manager of the franchise, his influence can be seen all over the organization.
His son, Stephen Jones, is listed as chief operating officer and co-owner of the team, but as long as there’s air in the elder Jones’ lungs, he’ll be calling the shots at One Cowboys Way.
