Cowboys' Jerry Jones Says It Isn't Super Bowl-or-Bust Despite Makeup of 2023 Roster

Even though the Dallas Cowboys are expected to be one of the NFL's best teams this season and made several big additions in an attempt to get over the hump in the playoffs, Jerry Jones doesn't view 2023 as must-win year for his franchise.

In an interview that will air in full on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown (h/t ESPN's Todd Archer), Jones downplayed the idea that it's imperative for this roster to win a Super Bowl:

"How we are as a team as we evolve through this season, all of that we'll weigh. We could very easily have a team that doesn't hold the trophy up but be dramatically better than one that if you cleaned house. So we'll let that set of facts, [let] that play during this '23 year be the influencing things when we get to '24. You ask me, 'Is winning the Super Bowl imperative without blowing this team up?' And I say, no, it is not."

There were some significant changes in Dallas during the offseason, including acquiring Brandin Cooks from the Houston Texans and Stephon Gilmore from the Indianapolis Colts in separate trades.

Cooks gives the Cowboys a proven outside receiver who can make plays and allows CeeDee Lamb to play more in the slot where he's at his best. Gilmore can be a quality second cornerback on a Dallas defense that already has Trevon Diggs on one side of the field.

But the biggest change will probably be giving head coach Mike McCarthy play-calling responsibilities for the offense. Kellen Moore, who spent the past four seasons as Dallas' offensive coordinator, left to take the same position with the Los Angeles Chargers.

McCarthy is a very divisive figure as a head coach, but he's had tremendous success with a 155-97-2 record in 16 seasons between the Cowboys and Green Bay Packers.

The 59-year-old raised some eyebrows early in the offseason by saying he wants to run the ball to protect the team's time of possession.

There's probably been too much backlash against Dak Prescott after he tied for the NFL lead with 15 interceptions last season. He's never been prone to turnovers at a high rate in his career prior to 2022.

Prescott's 3.8 percent interception rate last year was more than double his rate from any of the previous four years. If that issue does persist again, there will be more discussion about his future with the Cowboys since he's currently signed through the 2024 season.

Dallas' defense is absolutely loaded going into Week 1. This unit has ranked in the top seven in points allowed in each of the past two seasons and its 52 percent pass-rush win rate in 2022 was tied with the Philadelphia Eagles, who led the league with 70 sacks, for best in the NFL.

The Cowboys have been one of the most successful regular-season teams over the past two seasons. The Kansas City Chiefs are the only team with more wins (26) during that span that Dallas' 24.

Playoff success has been harder to come by with losses to the San Francisco 49ers in back-to-back years, including a 19-12 defeat in the NFC Divisional Round in January.

The Cowboys haven't played in the NFC Championship Game since their last Super Bowl victory during the 1995 season.