NFC East Power Rankings: Eagles sit on top entering 2020 NFL Draft

Eagles fans should be happy to see the Cowboys in the second position here, but shouldn’t get too comfortable.

Unfortunately, Dallas could be just as much a thorn in the Eagles’ side as last season, if not even more so.

While teams like the Redskins need to completely pick up new talent to have any sort of chance, the Cowboys are already stacked with undeniably some of the best players of the league, some of whom are getting a hefty pay raise as incentive to have a booming season.

Time will tell when it comes to seeing whether the Cowboys can lock up quarterback Dak Prescott in the blue and silver for the long run, but at least Dallas went ahead and made sure to lock down their top receiver in Amari Cooper with a five-year, $100 million contract earlier this offseason.

Ezekiel Elliott is there to stay as well after signing a six-year, $90 million deal in September 2019.

That is certainly a lot of talent, but also a lot of money as well.

With Prescott also likely to get a raise eventually, the Cowboys have most of their stock invested in existing talent, leaving low finances to bring in young additions or depth.

If the top players have a great season, it is all worth it, but if they don’t, there will be little resources to patch the holes.

The only other thing holding the Cowboys back right now is uncertainty, as Dallas will be under new head coach Mike McCarthy in 2020.

Unfortunately, the integration of the new boss could be sincerely hindered by the other variable in the mix right now, which is the ongoing battle between the franchise and Prescott over his contract.

Though it is probable they eventually will come to a deal, the fact that both sides have been in talks over a potential long-term deal for a while is never a good sign.

With the on-going COVID-19 pandemic keeping the team from bonding with their new head coach on the field, having Prescott miss the virtual training could be hugely detrimental to developing the cohesion with McCarthy when they ultimately work together later down the line.

Since a first-round pick in the draft will likely bolster the Cowboys’ defense and if the pieces can fall together on offense under a new coach, Dallas will be a major threat to the NFC East title.

Realistically, the Eagles may have the best chance of stopping the Cowboys within the division.