Ranking Dallas Cowboys' Best Players so Far This Season
After a rough start to the season, the Dallas Cowboys bounced back in Week 7 against the San Francisco 49ers in a big way.
Dallas totaled over 500 yards of offense as they routed the 49ers 40-10 on the road. Coming off of a bye after dropping back-to-back games at home, the Cowboys desperately needed the win on Sunday.
They now sit with a record of 3-3 after six weeks and are right in the thick of things in the NFC.
For the most part, their stars have been fantastic this season, but injuries to a few important positions—including linebacker and cornerback—are the only reason this team isn't 4-2 or 5-1. Despite the .500 record, this is still one of the best teams in the NFL.
While the Cowboys have had their ups and downs as a team, there have been a handful of players who have shined through first six weeks. But which players have had the best season so far?
Here is a list of the top 10 best players for the Cowboys so far in 2017.
1: Quarterback Dak Prescott
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For many expecting a sophomore slump, Dak Prescott has proved he is the real deal.
Outside of the game against the Denver Broncos, Prescott has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Through six weeks, he has thrown for 1,400 yards, but that's just where the incredible stats begin.
Prescott has thrown 14 touchdowns to just four interceptions (two of which have been passes that have hit receivers in the hands and bounced into a defender's arms.) On the season, the QB has a passer rating of over 98 and a completion percentage of nearly 63 percent. And with some easier pass defenses coming up for him, he should only improve on those numbers.
The 24-year-old has also been effective on the ground, rushing for at least 20 yards in five of the team's six games. He has also added three touchdowns on the ground as the Cowboys have suddenly become one of the best offenses in the NFL.
No matter the result of this season, Cowboys' fans can rest easy knowing the team has a franchise quarterback behind center for the foreseeable future. Considering how well he has played overall and because of the position he plays, Prescott has been the team's best player so far in 2017. And I'm not even sure it's all that close.
Being the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys is a lot of pressure, but Prescott is thriving in the Big D and showing each week why he's not a fluke.
2: Defensive End DeMarcus Lawrence
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If Prescott has been the team's clear-cut best player this season, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence isn't far behind.
After a disappointing 2016 campaign in which he accumulated just one sack in nine games, Lawrence has been one of the best defensive players in the entire NFL.
After many thought the Cowboys' biggest weakness would be their lack of ability to get to the quarterback, it's become a strength with the performances of Lawrence this season.
Through six games, the 25-year-old has racked up 9.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. Only Calais Campbell has more with 10, but he's also played in one more game than Lawrence.
Lawrence has recorded a sack in every single game this season and has been nearly unblockable in a few different contests.
At his age, Lawrence is coming into his own as one of the premier edge-rushers in the NFL. If the Cowboys can continue to find some sort of reliable rusher on the opposite side of him, he should be able to continue to dominate on the left side.
In a contract year, Lawrence is on his way to having an All-Pro season.
3: Running Back Ezekiel Elliott
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Outside of one bad performance in Denver in which he accumulated just 20 total yards, Ezekiel Elliott has been fantastic once again this season. In the past four games alone, he has totaled 584 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns.
After a somewhat slow rushing season in the first month of the season, Elliott now has three games of over 100 yards rushing and back-to-back games over 115 yards on the ground.
The 22-year-old might not be as dominant as he was last season, but he's going to produce big numbers again this season. Through six weeks, he is on pace for 1,440 rushing yards and nearly 2,000 total yards, despite an overall dip in play from the team's offensive line.
Assuming he can stay on the field throughout his ongoing legal battle, 2,000 total yards on the season isn't out of the equation.
As long as Elliott is on the field, the Cowboys should have one of the best offenses in the entire league. They have certainly shown that over the past four games, as they've scored at least 28 points in all four contests.
Elliott seems to be working himself into a rhythm and, with some favorable run defenses coming up on the schedule for the Cowboys, he should continue to feast in the second half of the season.
Look for him to potentially climb up this list by the end of the year.
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4: Guard Zack Martin
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Of the three Pro Bowl offensive linemen on the Cowboys team, guard Zack Martin has been the most reliable blocker.
The 26-year-old was dominant again on Sunday, grading out as the team's best offensive linemen, according to Pro Football Focus. He was a big reason the team was able to run for over 250 yards on the ground on the road.
Not only was Martin fantastic blocking in the run game on Sunday, he also made one of the most important blocks in the passing game. On the Elliott screen pass that went for a touchdown, he was the lineman who made the key block on the outside to spring the running back to the sideline.
It's the former Notre Dame man's ability to make plays in space that separates him from the rest of the interior offensive linemen across the NFL.
Now into his fourth year in the NFL, Martin is well on his way to his fourth straight Pro Bowl appearance and likely his third All-Pro selection.
At his age, Martin has already established himself as one of the best offensive linemen in the league. He might be the only player on this list who is truly the best player at his position in the NFL.
5: Linebacker Sean Lee
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If DeMarcus Lawrence is the team's best defensive player, linebacker Sean Lee is the most important.
After missing the past two weeks with a hamstring injury, Lee returned on Sunday to dominate again. He showed his importance once more, as it was the third time this season the team held their opponents to 17 or fewer points.
In games in which Lee has played, the Dallas defense has allowed just 16.3 points (excluding the interception for a touchdown in the Denver game). In the two contests Lee has missed, though, the Cowboys have given up 35 points in each.
It's not that Lee is creating a ton of turnovers (he hasn't created one this season) or that he's making a bunch of highlight plays every week, it's the fact he rarely makes the wrong move on every snap.
The 31-year-old is the leader and responsible for getting the entire defense into the right spots. Without him, there is a clear hole in the second level of the Cowboys' defense they can't seem to replace.
He was seen limping on the field again on Sunday, but even a limited Lee is a positive for the Cowboys as he's that important to this team.
As long as he can stay on the field, the Cowboys should have an acceptable defense that has the ability to make key stops. And, with the Dallas offense as good as it has been this season, that's all they need to be for the team to reach the playoffs this season.
Every year, Lee shows us why he is one of the best linebackers in the NFL.
6: Wide Receiver Dez Bryant
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Despite a difficult schedule to start the season, Dez Bryant has been a fantastic asset to the Cowboys' offense this season.
After matching up with some of the toughest cornerbacks in the league in Janoris Jenkins, Aqib Talib and Patrick Peterson, Bryant has survived the toughest part of the schedule. And despite the tough matchups, he's been able to produce; over the past five weeks, he has at least 95 receiving yards or a touchdown.
Bryant's value for the Cowboys comes in the red zone, as all four of his touchdowns have come inside their opponents' 20-yard line. He's a big reason why the Dallas offense has become so dominant there.
As a team, they have scored a touchdown on their last 10 drives that have reached the end zone when the starters are in the game. (Cooper Rush and the second team offense failed to score in the red zone twice against the 49ers.)
As long as Bryant is on the field, the Cowboys will have one of the better passing attacks in the NFL.
The 28-year-old is never going to be a big yardage or target hog like some of the other elite receivers in the league. But what he can do is demand safety attention and score touchdowns. Luckily for Dallas, that's exactly the type of receiver they need in this offense.
If Bryant can stay on the field for 16 games this season, he should eclipse 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns.
7: Center: Travis Frederick
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Outside of a few controversial holding calls, center Travis Frederick has been his usual self this season, especially over the past month.
After Week 7, he has graded out as a top-five center again this season, according to Pro Football Focus. If he can continue to play as well as he did on Sunday, Frederick should be a lock to make his fourth straight Pro Bowl.
The 26-year-old's ability to play in both man and zone schemes, along with calling out all the protections for the offensive line, make him one of the most valuable players on the Cowboys' entire roster.
With him and the other two stud offensive linemen on the field, this will always be one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL. Frederick is having another fantastic year in Dallas.
8: Tackle Tyron Smith
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Of the three stud offensive linemen in Dallas, tackle Tyron Smith has probably been the most inconsistent—but for good reason. He has been nursing a back injury since training camp, and it has caused him to miss multiple practices over the past month.
Because the team has opted to rest him in practice, some of that rust has shown in games; he has already allowed two sacks, two pressures and eight hurries so far this season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Unfortunately for Dallas, resting the 26-year-old throughout the season in practice might be the best solution in order to keep him on the field. But that may mean we see a less dominant Smith at left tackle for 2017.
However, even a banged-up Smith is better than most left tackles in the league. He is still fantastic, but he's just not playing at the same level we saw him at last season.
Maybe that changes in the second half of the year, but even if it doesn't, the team will be more than fine on the blind side.
9: Defensive End David Irving
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Despite playing in just two games this season, defensive lineman David Irving has been one of the most dominant defenders on the team.
After serving a four-game suspension, Irving has been nearly unblockable. He's already racked up three sacks, two pass deflections and numerous pressures. Playing in a variety of roles, Irving has become the team's second pass-rusher behind DeMarcus Lawrence.
At the age of 24, Irving is on his way to a major payday in the future and Dallas will likely oblige.
Right now, though, the Cowboys are just concerned about how to find ways to get both Lawrence and Irving on the field together. As long as the team can keep those two healthy, Dallas has a shot at drastically improving their defense in the second half of the season.
Together, they make up one of the better pass-rushing duos in the entire league.
10: Kicker Dan Bailey
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Special teams players typically don't get a lot of love in these lists, but Dan Bailey should—and will—especially when considering how bad the rest of the NFL has been in the kicking game.
Almost halfway through the season, the Dallas man has yet to miss a single kick and is one of the most accurate kickers the NFL has seen.
Unfortunately for the Cowboys and Bailey, he was hurt in Sunday's win in the first half. The 29-year-old suffered a groin problem and was unable to return to the field after converting on his second extra point of the day. Safety Jeff Heath was the next in line to kick, making two of three extra points.
If Bailey misses any time with his groin injury, the Cowboys could suffer significantly in the next few weeks. He's one of the best kickers in the NFL, especially when the game is on the line.
Dallas needs Bailey to return to 100 percent quickly if the team wants to go on any sort of run over the next several weeks.
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