2023 Dallas Cowboys season
The 2023 season is the Dallas Cowboys' 64th season in the National Football League and their fourth under head coach Mike McCarthy. The Cowboys attempt to improve upon their 12–5 record from the previous two seasons and win the NFC East for the first time since 2021.
2023 Dallas Cowboys season | |
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Owner | Jerry Jones |
General manager | Jerry Jones |
Head coach | Mike McCarthy |
Home field | AT&T Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 4–2 |
Division place | 2nd NFC East |
Uniform | |
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This is the first season since 2015 that running back Ezekiel Elliott will not be on the roster, as he was released on March 15, 2023,[1] and later signed with the New England Patriots on August 14, 2023.[2]
Offseason
Signings
Position | Player | Age | 2022 team | Contract |
---|---|---|---|---|
RB | Ronald Jones II | 26 | Kansas City Chiefs | 1 year, $1.232 million |
G | Chuma Edoga | 26 | New York Jets | 1 year, $1.232 million |
LS | Trent Sieg | 28 | Las Vegas Raiders | 1 year, $1.232 million |
Re-signings
Position | Player | Age | Contract |
---|---|---|---|
QB | Cooper Rush | 30 | 2 years, $6 million |
RB | Rico Dowdle | 25 | 1 year, $1 million |
DE | Dante Fowler | 28 | 1 year, $3 million |
DT | Johnathan Hankins | 31 | 1 year, $1.5 million |
MLB | Leighton Vander Esch | 27 | 2 years, $8 million |
CB | C. J. Goodwin | 33 | 1 year, $1.3 million |
SS | Donovan Wilson | 28 | 3 years, $21 million |
Trade acquisitions
Position | Player | Age | 2022 team | Contract | Traded away |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
QB | Trey Lance | 23 | San Francisco 49ers | 2 years, $16 million | 2024 fourth-round selection |
WR | Brandin Cooks | 29 | Houston Texans | 2 years, $40 million | 2023 fifth-round selection (Nick Hampton) and 2024 sixth-round selection |
CB | Stephon Gilmore | 32 | Indianapolis Colts | 1 year, $10 million | 2023 fifth-round selection (Evan Hull) |
CB | Noah Igbinoghene | 24 | Miami Dolphins | 1 year, $2.1 million | CB Kelvin Joseph |
Departures
Position | Player | Age | 2023 team |
---|---|---|---|
QB | Will Grier | 28 | New England Patriots |
RB | Ezekiel Elliott | 28 | New England Patriots |
WR | Noah Brown | 27 | Houston Texans |
WR | Simi Fehoko | 25 | Los Angeles Chargers |
WR | T. Y. Hilton | 33 | TBD |
TE | Dalton Schultz | 26 | Houston Texans |
OT | Aviante Collins | 29 | Chicago Bears |
OT | Jason Peters | 41 | Seattle Seahawks |
G/C | Matt Farniok | 25 | Chicago Bears |
G/C | Connor McGovern | 26 | Buffalo Bills |
DT | Quinton Bohanna | 24 | Detroit Lions |
DT | Carlos Watkins | 29 | Arizona Cardinals |
LB | Devin Harper | 25 | Cincinnati Bengals |
MLB | Jabril Cox | 25 | Washington Commanders |
OLB | Anthony Barr | 30 | TBD |
OLB | Luke Gifford | 28 | Tennessee Titans |
CB | Anthony Brown | 29 | San Francisco 49ers |
CB | Kelvin Joseph | 24 | Miami Dolphins |
K | Brett Maher | 33 | Los Angeles Rams |
LS | Jake McQuaide | 35 | TBD |
LS | Matt Overton | 37 | TBD |
Draft
Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 26 | Mazi Smith | DT | Michigan | |
2 | 58 | Luke Schoonmaker | TE | Michigan | |
3 | 90 | DeMarvion Overshown | LB | Texas | |
4 | 129 | Viliami Fehoko | DE | San Jose State | |
5 | 169 | Asim Richards | OT | North Carolina | Compensatory pick |
6 | 178 | Eric Scott Jr. | CB | Southern Miss | Compensatory pick |
6 | 212 | Deuce Vaughn | RB | Kansas State | |
7 | 244 | Jalen Brooks | WR | South Carolina |
Name | Position | College | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Jose Barbon | WR | Temple | [3] |
T. J. Bass | OT | Oregon | |
Earl Bostick Jr. | Kansas | ||
David Durden | WR | West Florida | |
Princeton Fant | TE | Tennessee | |
Durrell Johnson | LB | Liberty | |
Isaiah Land | DE | Florida A&M | |
Hunter Luepke | FB | North Dakota State | |
De'Angelo Mandell | CB | BYU | |
Jalen Moreno-Cropper | WR | Fresno State | |
Tyrus Wheat | OLB | Mississippi State |
Staff
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Current roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
Practice squad
Rookies in italics Roster updated October 25, 2023 53 active, 9 inactive, 16 practice squad → AFC rosters → NFC rosters |
Preseason
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 12 | Jacksonville Jaguars | L 23–28 | 0–1 | AT&T Stadium | Recap |
2 | August 19 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 14–22 | 0–2 | Lumen Field | Recap |
3 | August 26 | Las Vegas Raiders | W 31–16 | 1–2 | AT&T Stadium | Recap |
Regular season
Schedule
Week | Date | Time (CT) | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | TV | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 10 | 7:20 p.m. | at New York Giants | W 40–0 | 1–0 | MetLife Stadium | NBC | Recap |
2 | September 17 | 3:25 p.m. | New York Jets | W 30–10 | 2–0 | AT&T Stadium | CBS | Recap |
3 | September 24 | 3:25 p.m. | at Arizona Cardinals | L 16–28 | 2–1 | State Farm Stadium | Fox | Recap |
4 | October 1 | 3:25 p.m. | New England Patriots | W 38–3 | 3–1 | AT&T Stadium | Fox | Recap |
5 | October 8 | 7:20 p.m. | at San Francisco 49ers | L 10–42 | 3–2 | Levi's Stadium | NBC | Recap |
6 | October 16 | 7:15 p.m. | at Los Angeles Chargers | W 20–17 | 4–2 | SoFi Stadium | ESPN/ABC | Recap |
7 | Bye | |||||||
8 | October 29 | 12:00 p.m. | Los Angeles Rams | AT&T Stadium | Fox | |||
9 | November 5 | 3:25 p.m. | at Philadelphia Eagles | Lincoln Financial Field | Fox | |||
10 | November 12 | 3:25 p.m. | New York Giants | AT&T Stadium | Fox | |||
11 | November 19 | 12:00 p.m. | at Carolina Panthers | Bank of America Stadium | Fox | |||
12 | November 23 | 3:30 p.m. | Washington Commanders | AT&T Stadium | CBS | |||
13 | November 30 | 7:15 p.m. | Seattle Seahawks | AT&T Stadium | Prime Video | |||
14 | December 10 | 7:20 p.m. | Philadelphia Eagles | AT&T Stadium | NBC | |||
15 | December 17 | 3:25 p.m. | at Buffalo Bills | Highmark Stadium | Fox | |||
16 | December 24 | 3:25 p.m. | at Miami Dolphins | Hard Rock Stadium | Fox | |||
17 | December 30 | 7:15 p.m. | Detroit Lions | AT&T Stadium | ESPN/ABC | |||
18 | TBD (January 6/7) | TBD | at Washington Commanders | FedExField | TBD |
Notes
- Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
- Networks and times from Weeks 8–17 are subject to change as a result of flexible scheduling.
- The date, time and network for Week 18 will be finalized at the end of Week 17.
Week 1: at New York Giants
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowboys | 16 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 40 |
Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Date: September 10
- Game time: 8:20 p.m. EDT/7:20 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Rain, 74 °F (23 °C)
- Game attendance: 80,809
- Referee: Adrian Hill
- TV announcers (NBC): Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth and Melissa Stark
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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The Cowboys started the season by traveling to MetLife Stadium to face one of their longtime NFC East rivals - the New York Giants.
In rain-soaked conditions, they demolished the Giants, 40–0, on the back of a 70-yard, 2 touchdown performance by Tony Pollard, the defense blocking a field goal, intercepting Daniel Jones twice, and a pick-six. The defense recorded a total of seven sacks during the game on the Giants quarterback Daniel Jones.
With the shutout win, the Cowboys started the season 1–0.
Week 2: vs. New York Jets
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jets | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Cowboys | 7 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 30 |
at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
- Date: September 17
- Game time: 3:25 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 93,689
- Referee: Clete Blakeman
- TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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After a raging shutout win over the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys went back home to face New York's other NFL team, the New York Jets. The Cowboys benefitted from the Jets having to start Zach Wilson because of Aaron Rodgers injuring his Achilles' tendon the week before. Dallas scored the only points of the first quarter, with Dak Prescott hitting Jake Ferguson with a 4-yard touchdown pass to put the Cowboys up, 7-0.
In the second quarter, Brandon Aubrey extended the Cowboys' lead to 10-0 upon booting a 35-yard field goal. However, they would allow Zach Wilson to pass for his only touchdown of the game by hitting Garrett Wilson with a 68-yard touchdown pass to drop the Cowboys' lead to three points. However, the Cowboys wouldn't go away, as Dak Prescott hit Luke Schoonmaker with a 1-yard touchdown pass with the two-point conversion to put Dallas up by 11. With 4 seconds until halftime, the Jets would score their final points, with Austin Seibert booting a 34-yard field goal to bring New York within eight.
The second half belonged to Brandon Aubrey, as he booted 4 field goals, with 2 coming in the 3rd quarter, and the other two coming in the 4th, to reach the final score of 30–10.
The Cowboys' defense thoroughly harassed Zach Wilson, intercepting him 3 times and sacking him 3 times for 19 yards.
With the win, the Cowboys improved to 2–0, and won their first game against the Jets since 2007.
Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra was played as the game ended.
Week 3: at Arizona Cardinals
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowboys | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
Cardinals | 9 | 12 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
- Date: September 24
- Game time: 3:25 p.m. CDT/1:25 p.m. MST
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 62,915
- Referee: Alex Kemp
- TV announcers (Fox): Joe Davis, Daryl Johnston and Pam Oliver
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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After two consecutive blowout wins over both New York teams, the Cowboys traveled to State Farm Stadium, hoping to give the Arizona Cardinals their 10th consecutive loss dating back to last season. Despite intercepting 5 passes in the previous two games, the Cowboys defense struggled throughout the game and could not intercept Cardinals' quarterback Joshua Dobbs at all. After falling into a 15–3 hole in the second quarter, Dallas failed to rebound, ultimately losing 28–16, and extending their losing streak against the Cardinals to three games. With the upset loss, the Cowboys fell to 2–1, and allowed their division rival Eagles to take sole possession of the division lead after their win the following night over the Buccaneers. Additionally, it was Dak Prescott's first game of the season throwing an interception.
Week 4: vs. New England Patriots
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patriots | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Cowboys | 10 | 18 | 3 | 7 | 38 |
at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
- Date: October 1
- Game time: 3:25 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 93,719
- Referee: Scott Novak
- TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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After a loss to the Arizona Cardinals, the Cowboys went back home to face the New England Patriots. This was Ezekiel Elliott's return to AT&T Stadium for the first time since being released from the Cowboys. He played 7 seasons with the Cowboys from 2016 to 2022. The Cowboys dominated from start to finish against Bill Belichick and the Patriots. Leighton Vander Esch scored the first defensive touchdown of his career on an 11-yard fumble recovery.
With the win, the Cowboys improved to 3–1, and gave Belichick his worst loss as a head coach.
Week 5: at San Francisco 49ers
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowboys | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
49ers | 7 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 42 |
Game information | ||
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In one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the season, the Cowboys traveled to San Francisco to face the undefeated 49ers in a rematch of the previous season's Divisional Round meeting, which San Francisco won, 19–12. The Cowboys were dominated on both sides of the ball from start to finish in a devastating 42–10 loss, their third straight to the 49ers. Dak Prescott tied a career worst by throwing three interceptions, and the defense allowed 421 total yards. Dallas dropped to 3–2 on the season with the blowout loss.
Week 6: at Los Angeles Chargers
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowboys | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
Chargers | 7 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
- Date: October 16
- Game time: 7:15 p.m. CDT/5:15 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: Clear, 74 °F (23 °C) (retractable roof open)
- Game attendance: 70,240
- Referee: Land Clark
- TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Lisa Salters
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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The Cowboys traveled to SoFi Stadium to take on Justin Herbert and the Kellen Moore-led Chargers. Moore had been the Cowboys' offensive coordinator between 2019 and 2022. The Cowboys and the Chargers exchanged points throughout the game, including a point when Jalen Tolbert muffed a catch that led to a Chargers touchdown. The Cowboys responded by kicking a field goal to make the game 20–17, which proved to be the final score. Strangely, the score drew a coincidence to the 2021 season when the Cowboys and Chargers played each other, which was also a 20–17 Cowboys win over the Chargers. The Cowboys defense stood tall in the final minutes of the game, with Micah Parsons sacking Justin Herbert, with Stephon Gilmore intercepting Herbert to seal the Cowboys win. The win improved the Cowboys to 4–2 on the season.
Week 8: vs. Los Angeles Rams
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
- Date: October 29
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: TBD (retractable roof stadium)
- Referee: Adrian Hill
- TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi
- Preview
Division
NFC East | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Philadelphia Eagles | 6 | 1 | 0 | .857 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 186 | 141 | W1 |
Dallas Cowboys | 4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 154 | 100 | W1 |
Washington Commanders | 3 | 4 | 0 | .429 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 140 | 190 | L1 |
New York Giants | 2 | 5 | 0 | .286 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 85 | 174 | W1 |
Conference
# | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division leaders | |||||||||||
1 | Philadelphia Eagles | East | 6 | 1 | 0 | .857 | 1–0 | 4–0 | .458 | .452 | W1 |
2[lower-alpha 1] | Detroit Lions | North | 5 | 2 | 0 | .714 | 1–0 | 4–1 | .522 | .455 | L1 |
3[lower-alpha 1] | San Francisco 49ers | West | 5 | 2 | 0 | .714 | 2–0 | 4–1 | .457 | .424 | L2 |
4 | Atlanta Falcons | South | 4 | 3 | 0 | .571 | 2–0 | 3–2 | .457 | .320 | W1 |
Wild cards | |||||||||||
5[lower-alpha 2] | Seattle Seahawks | West | 4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | 1–1 | 4–1 | .350 | .296 | W1 |
6[lower-alpha 2] | Dallas Cowboys | East | 4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | 1–0 | 1–2 | .375 | .346 | W1 |
7[lower-alpha 3] | Minnesota Vikings | North | 3 | 4 | 0 | .429 | 1–0 | 3–2 | .511 | .350 | W2 |
In the hunt | |||||||||||
8[lower-alpha 3] | Los Angeles Rams | West | 3 | 4 | 0 | .429 | 2–1 | 2–2 | .565 | .400 | L1 |
9[lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 4] | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | South | 3 | 4 | 0 | .429 | 1–1 | 3–3 | .560 | .381 | L3 |
10[lower-alpha 3] | Washington Commanders | East | 3 | 4 | 0 | .429 | 0–2 | 2–3 | .440 | .333 | L1 |
11[lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 4] | New Orleans Saints | South | 3 | 4 | 0 | .429 | 1–1 | 1–2 | .378 | .211 | L2 |
12 | Green Bay Packers | North | 2 | 4 | 0 | .333 | 1–1 | 2–2 | .452 | .357 | L3 |
13[lower-alpha 5] | New York Giants | East | 2 | 5 | 0 | .286 | 1–1 | 2–3 | .563 | .286 | W1 |
14[lower-alpha 5] | Chicago Bears | North | 2 | 5 | 0 | .286 | 0–2 | 1–3 | .458 | .429 | W1 |
15 | Arizona Cardinals | West | 1 | 6 | 0 | .143 | 0–3 | 1–5 | .522 | .667 | L4 |
16 | Carolina Panthers | South | 0 | 6 | 0 | .000 | 0–2 | 0–5 | .585 | .000 | L6 |
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 6] | |||||||||||
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Legend | |||||||||||
w — Clinched wild card | |||||||||||
x — Clinched playoff berth | |||||||||||
y — Clinched division | |||||||||||
z — Clinched first-round bye and home-field advantage |
References
- Archer, Todd (March 15, 2023). "Cowboys officially release RB Ezekiel Elliott after 7 seasons". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
- Baca, Michael (August 14, 2023). "Patriots signing ex-Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott to one-year deal worth up to $6 million". NFL.com. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- "LIVE: Tracking the UDFA's Being Linked to Dallas". dallascowboys.com. April 29, 2023.