Mailbag: Have Cowboys now turned into contenders?

(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)

Yes! Legit excitement, and for good reason, heading into the new season. Wouldn't you say this might be the best offseason in recent memory? Given the George Pickens trade, don't you think we now have a roster that will contend in 2025? – Les Hoffman/Pell City, AL

Nick: I find it hard to think that one player alone - one that another team wanted to move on from - will automatically make the Cowbohs good enough to contend for a title. That would somewhat suggest the Cowboys were just one player away from where they want to be.

However, this isn't about one player. As of right now, Pickens is just the last player they've added to the mix and probably the best one a far. but the Cowboys have made a series of moves that should make them better in 2025. even the injured players returning should make them better, starting with the quarterback.

Add in the inordinate amount of injuries last year, the additions of established players like Pickens, Murray and Fowler - along with two veteran running backs - and this roster is better overall. At 7-10, it takes about three wins, maybe four to be considered a true contender. Yes, I think adding Pickens, to follow the other moves, combined with a new staff that has shown tons of energy, yes they can contend. But it's up to them to show it.

Patrik: As a standalone piece, my answer is no. As a part of the collective improvement of the team and, presumably, the entirety of the coaching staff as a whole, my answer is yes. Not only have the Cowboys been far more active in free agency than one year ago, including reuniting with Dante Fowler after his career season in Washington, but they've also nailed the draft to the wall; and those who were furious at the Tyler Booker pick and/or upset they didn't draft a wideout find themselves looking at a roster in Dallas that now virtually guarantees an upgraded offensive line that should not only improve the rushing attack, but also gives Dak Prescott more time to find not only Jake Ferguson and CeeDee Lamb ... but also George Pickens.

But wait, there's more.

They added a home run hitting running back in the draft along with a downhill bully to complement him, adding to what Javonte Williams might be in Dallas, and flip the ball to the defensive side and you have the return of Sam Williams combining with another year for Marshawn Kneeland's progress and the addition of Donovan Ezeiruaku in a rotation led by Micah Parsons — not to mention the upgraded LB and more.

I could go on and I guess that's the crux of my argument, is that the fact I can keep going with this answer tells you why, all told, my answer is an emphatic yes ... in May.