With the NFL season halfway through, the Dallas Cowboys are now 5-3. It’s been a roller coaster of matchups, to say the least. Despite the countless storylines surrounding the team ahead of the season, some players have silenced the criticism they faced during the offseason.
Let’s review some of the bright spots on the roster and who has been the most impressive to this point.
Dallas Cowboys Midseason Award Winners
MVP | Dak Prescott
Although Dak Prescott was the obvious choice for MVP, he’s undeniably playing his best football right now. In fact, he continues to impress with how well he can play when he moves outside the pocket and is more mobile.
Going into Week 10, he has a total of 118 rushing yards, which is only 64 yards shy of his rushing total from the 2022 season.
Against the Philadelphia Eagles, Prescott had his 55th career game with a 100 passer rating or better. That is second best in Cowboys history, behind only Tony Romo (67).
Prescott is doing everything right in head coach Mike McCarthy’s Texas Coast offense, and if the run game can become a consistent threat, Dallas’ offense as a whole can become a well-rounded force to be reckoned with.
Offensive MVP | CeeDee Lamb
CeeDee Lamb has fortified his spot as the team’s best receiver, and his chemistry with Prescott has been fun to watch. All the offseason work he and his quarterback have put in is paying dividends.
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After the Cowboys’ loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5, Lamb made it clear he wanted the ball. Now, he’s not only getting the targets he desired, but his production has been tremendous.
Lamb had 11 receptions for a career-high 191 yards in Week 9, the fifth-most receiving yards by any NFL receiver in a game this season.
Defensive MVP | DaRon Bland
DaRon Bland, or “Mr. Pick-Six,” has shined bright on defense this season. Ahead of Week 9, he ranked first in pick-sixes and second in interceptions across the league.
Bland’s three pick-sixes so far are a single-season Cowboys record, and there is still a lot of football left to play.
With the secondary being questioned on how it would look without Trevon Diggs, Bland has stepped up and only continues to improve. Diggs discussed what it’s been like to see Bland playing at an elite level.
“He’s always been one heck of a player,” Diggs said. “Just excited to see him display it. He’s playing like one of the best players right now.”
Most Consistent Player | Micah Parsons
It was inevitable that Micah Parsons would find himself on this list at some point as his impact on the game continues to challenge opposing offensive coordinators.
Although he has 7.5 sacks so far this season, stats don’t tell the entire story of what Parsons is doing to disrupt opposing QBs.
He was vocal about putting work in during the offseason to be one step ahead of opposing offensive linemen. It has paid off, allowing him to consistently beat out the best of the best to rush quarterbacks throughout the entire game.
Parsons has 11 career multi-sack games, the most by any Dallas player in their first three seasons. But with 1.5 sacks against the New York Giants, he could tie Ed “Too Tall” Jones for the fifth-most multi-sack games by a Cowboys player since 1982.
What To See More Of | Brandin Cooks
With Lamb on the rise, Dallas’ offense can only get stronger — especially with more involvement from Brandin Cooks.
Cooks brings a solid veteran presence to the locker room and has helped his teammates around him grow. However, Dallas should be getting more from him.
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Cooks adds a speed factor that helps him stretch the field and turn quick passes into long gains. So far, he only has 17 receptions for 165 yards and two touchdowns in 2023. He’s averaging over nine yards per catch, and fans are clamoring for him to be targeted more as a vertical threat.
Biggest Second-Year Jump | Tyler Smith
Regarding second-year jumps, Tyler Smith has been everything one could want out of a left guard.
Smith has consistently found continuity in the left guard position. According to Next Gen Stats, Smith has allowed a 3.3% pressure rate this season, the lowest among left guards across the league.
McCarthy credited him and tackle Tyron Smith, saying Sunday’s game against the Eagles was the best performance the left side of the line had since his coaching tenure started with the team in 2020.
If Tyler continues to play at this level, the left side of the line will continue to set the Cowboys’ offense up for success for a long time.
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