An offseason ranking looks at the skill positions.<\/p>\n
7.\u00a0Dallas Cowboys<\/a><\/p>\n 2025 rank:\u00a011 |\u00a02024 rank:\u00a08<\/p>\n The Cowboys might claim to have the best one-two punch in the league at wide receiver between\u00a0CeeDee Lamb<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0George Pickens<\/a>.<\/p>\n Pickens\u2019 performance after moving from Pittsburgh<\/a> to Dallas is a great example of how context can dramatically change a player\u2019s production. Pickens shifted from a run-first offense with bad quarterback play in Pittsburgh to one that played faster, threw more often and was operated by a much better signal-caller in Dallas. Pickens played better in a vacuum, but he also was in a much more advantageous situation to succeed.<\/p>\n Lamb\u2019s 2023 season might look like an outlier if he can\u2019t come close to hitting that 1,749-yard mark again in 2026. He\u2019s still extremely efficient, but Lamb has missed time with injuries each of the past two seasons and hasn\u2019t been able to command the outlandish target share he saw during that big campaign. Between Pickens and tight end\u00a0Jake Ferguson<\/a>, who made it back to the Pro Bowl after catching more than 80% of the passes thrown in his direction last season, it\u2019s tough to see Lamb earning 181 targets again anytime soon.<\/p>\n Javonte Williams<\/a>\u00a0was a pleasant surprise at running back in 2025, staying healthy for the majority of the season and averaging nearly 5 yards per carry along the way. He had struggled to stay on the field since an early-career knee injury, so if he can keep this up in 2026, it\u2019ll be difficult to find many faults with what the Cowboys can roll out for\u00a0Dak Prescott<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Cowboys other first-rounder speaks.<\/p>\n When the Cowboys selected Ohio State safety Caleb Downs<\/a> with the 11th\u00a0overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Dallas\u2019 war room erupted in celebration. In the press conference following the first round, the Cowboys\u2019 brass admitted they didn\u2019t think Downs would be close to being available.<\/p>\n In the days and weeks after, Downs\u2019 selection captured headlines as one of the best picks in the draft, and rightfully so. But 12 picks after Downs became a Cowboy, Dallas\u2019 second first-round pick Malachi Lawrence was drafted to help the defense too. Lawrence\u2019s name hasn\u2019t been in as many headlines, and he\u2019s perfectly fine with that.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m kind of used to being in the shadows,\u201d Lawrence said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t faze me. Once the time comes, people will see the work that you put in\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot being in the spotlight, if you get on Instagram, you probably won\u2019t scroll and see my name, but you\u2019ll probably see some other guys\u2019 names. Once you kind of get to know who I was, it\u2019s like I became out of the spotlight.\u201d<\/p>\n The Cowboys are excited about what Downs and Lawrence can do to help their defense, which was among the worst in the league and franchise history in 2025. Throughout the draft process, Downs was regarded as one of the best overall prospects in the class. Lawrence on the other hand was a name that wasn\u2019t discussed as widely, but that changed in Indianapolis<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dallas decided to lock up cornerback DaRon Bland, signing the former fifth-round pick to a\u00a0four-year, $92 million extension<\/a>. This was a surprise move from the Cowboys since Bland was coming off a frustrating season, which was marred by a foot injury. The Cowboys were banking on Bland returning to the form we saw in 2023, but that wasn\u2019t the case.<\/p>\n Bland continued to struggle with durability and wasn\u2019t the impact player we saw during his breakout season when he was on the field. Now, he enters his fifth season in the league with a hefty price tag, and there are\u00a0questions about his long-term status with the team<\/a>.<\/p>\n