I asked David Halprin<\/a> of Blogging the Boys five questions to better understand the state of the Cowboys and what to look for in this game.<\/p>\n 1) What are the biggest things that have changed for the Cowboys since the last time they faced the Commanders?<\/p>\n From an overall standpoint, we now know what kind of team this actually is in 2025. Back in the first meeting, it was really hard to tell where the season was going to go for Dallas. We had won some games, played close or tied in others against what were supposed to be better teams, and we also lost a game we thought we should have won. So overall, we were a little confused as to what kind of team we were – contender, pretender, something in between? Everything was still possible at that point. Now, we know that we are pretenders and that our defense is historically bad. So that feels like the overall takeaway.<\/p>\n On the field, we got Quinnen Williams in a trade and he is as advertised. He will be a big problem for the NFC East over the next couple of seasons. But even he couldn\u2019t lift this defense from its awful production, and everything else is still pretty similar. CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are the attack, with Dak Prescott putting up productive stats. The run game has slowed a bit, but the offense can still put up points. But the defense is just as likely to give them right back to the opposition.<\/p>\n The Cowboys interior DL has essentially been settled with the addition of Quinnen Williams. Cooper Neill\/GettyImages<\/p>\n 2) Overall, what do you think of the Brian Schottenheimer regime in Dallas and do you think this coaching staff has what it takes to win a Lombardi if they just fill in some gaps on the roster?<\/p>\n I think Brian Schottenheimer has done a pretty good job in what has been a chaotic season for the Cowboys. He\u2019s had to deal with a few major issues like the Micah Parsons trade and the tragedy of Marshawn Kneeland, but he seemed to hold the locker room together and has the respect of the players. He also did a good job of hiring the offensive staff and updating that side of the ball for the modern game. He\u2019s still finding his footing as a play-caller and hopefully will become a little more unpredictable next year. It was unfortunate that he was saddled with a defensive coordinator in Matt Eberflus who probably was chosen by Jerry Jones. Eberflus had a lot of respect in Dallas from previous accomplishments, but his defense this year tanked Schottenheimer\u2019s rookie year. Overall, there\u2019s a lot of promise in what Schottenheimer has done so far.<\/p>\n As for the coaching staff being able to win a Lombardi, that feels impossible to project. Most of them we\u2019ve only seen for one season, and so much of coaching success depends on the roster anyway.<\/p>\n 3) Looking back on it, how would you grade Dallas\u2019s free agent signings and player trades, both in the offseason and during the season? When healthy, is this roster better than it was a year ago?<\/p>\n As always, these things are a mixed bag. The free agent signing of Javonte Williams was a big hit as he has been a consistent force on the ground and he excels at pass protection. The trade for linebacker Kenneth Murray was a big whiff, as was cornerback Kaiir Elam. The Cowboys struck gold when they traded for George Pickens, now they just need to get him re-signed over the offseason. Of course the big trade was Micah Parsons, and while I am never a fan of trading away someone as talented as that, we did end up after some maneuvering with Quinnen Williams and an extra first-round pick. So if they hit on that extra first-rounder, it may turn out to be an okay thing. The Cowboys had a bad defense last year, and they have an even worse one this year. Even with the injuries, it was still a dropoff on that side of the ball.<\/p>\n 4) What are the early returns on the Cowboys 2025 draft class?<\/p>\n Guard Tyler Booker is the real deal. He looks like he has the potential to be a fixture on the line for a long time. There is really nothing about his game that is deficient and he should only get better as he settles in as a veteran. Edge Donovan Ezieruaku has a ton of potential and has had times when he looked really good this year. He is not consistent enough yet in his play, and he really needs to start turning some of those pressures into sacks once he gets a decent secondary to play with that forces the QB to hold the ball a little longer. Corner Shavon Revel was hurt in his last year of college so we\u2019ve only seen him in the second part of the season. He is also flashing some potential with his size and athleticism, but is still going through growing pains as QBs have been targeting him lately. Beyond that, no other rookie really showed out in terms of being a starter in the future. We\u2019ll give them a second year to see if anyone makes that sophomore leap.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Cowboys_Williams.png\"\/)
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