The Dallas Cowboys enter the 2010 season with one thing on their mind—playing in the Super Bowl in their home stadium. In 2009, the Cowboys used a late charge to jump past the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC East title, and then beat up on the Eagles for a third time in the first round of the playoffs before losing to the Minnesota Vikings in the second round. With the 2010 season just around the corner, here is a look at what the Dallas Cowboys will bring to the table on both sides of the ball, plus my prediction on where they finish the season in the NFC East.

 

Offense: The Cowboys are loaded with weapons on this side of the ball, and it will be up to quarterback Tony Romo to get this team back into the postseason. Romo had a very solid 2009 season throwing for 4,483 yards with 26 touchdowns to just nine interceptions, and it will be key that he keeps his turnover number down in 2010.

The Cowboys have a trio of backs that are capable of producing at the NFL level, but all signs point to Felix Jones as the opening day starter. The move allows Marion Barber to move back to the closer role, where many believe he is at his best. The odd man out is Tashard Choice, but he is a very valuable backup that will get his carries here and there and will serve as an insurance option if Jones or Barber gets hurt.

The Cowboys got a pleasant surprise from wide receiver Miles Austin in 2009, who quickly emerged as the No. 1 option on the outside and finished the season with 81 catches for 1,320 yards and team best 11 touchdowns. The Cowboys added even more talent with their first round selection of Dez Bryant, and he figures to jump Roy Williams as the No. 2 receiver. The go to guy for Romo is still tight end Jason Witten, who caught a team best 94 passes for 1,030 yards and two touchdowns.

The Cowboys decided to let left tackle Flozell Adams go this offseason, but filled the void quickly by trading for Alex Barron. The rest of the line remains intact, but the Cowboys are hoping to get a much better season out of right tackle Marc Colombo, who played in just nine games in 2009. Doug Free has proved to be a solid backup at the tackle position, and figures to battle Barron for the starting spot at left tackle.

 

Defense: As good as the offense is, the defense played lights out in 2009, and figures to be one of the top units in the NFL again this season. Jay Ratliff is back to hold down the nose tackle spot, with Marcus Spears and Igor Olshansky both back at the two end spots. Look for Jason Hatcher and Stephen Bowen to get more playing time at the end position this season.

At linebacker, the Cowboys have one of the most feared pass rushers in the NFL in outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware, who led the Cowboys with 11 sacks in 2009 and is capable of putting up closer to 20. Anthony Spencer is back as the other starting outside linebacker, while Bradie James and veteran Keith Brooking are both back on the inside, and James is coming off a team best 113 tackles in 2009.

In the secondary, the Cowboys bring back veteran Terence Newman and youngster Mike Jenkins at the two starting corner spots, with Orlando Scandrick holding down the nickel spot. At safety the Cowboys decided to get rid of free safety Ken Hamlin, and former cornerback Alan Ball figures to get first crack at his spot. Gerald Sensabaugh is back as the starting strong safety, after playing very well in his first season as a Cowboy.

 

Prediction—1st NFC East: The Cowboys appear to be the clear cut favorites to win the East this season, and I think they will as long as they don’t suffer a ton of big injuries. This is no lock though, as the NFC East is one of the toughest divisions in the NFL.

Find out where the rest of the teams finish the 2010 season in our 2010 NFL predictions . For those of you planning on betting the NFL this season, be sure to check out our live NFL odds section, giving you the best odds for every game of the year.