After the loss in the wild card round against the 49ers, the only thing left for the Cowboys is to start preparing the details for next season. That includes the draft process, the situation with upcoming free agents and the game schedule for the new regular season.
Regarding the Draft, it is already known that the selection will be at the end of April in the State of Nevada. And with the Cowboys being eliminated by San Francisco, it is known that they will have the 24th position in the selection. This brings back great memories with picks that Dallas has managed to get under these digits.
In all, it will be the fourth time the franchise has been able to pick a rookie with this number in the first round. As for the previous three they drafted, we have running back Calvin Hill in the 1969 edition, winning Super Bowl VI and being in the organization for six seasons.
The other specific case was that of linebacker Robert Jones in 1992. He was in the franchise between that year and 1995, being the rookie of the year in the NFC and Super Bowl champion three times.
However, the last of them was a more recent case and he has not long left the organization. This is the receiver Dez Bryant, who came to the team in 2010, spending eight seasons with the Cowboys. Being part of the Pro Bowl three times and another element of the mythical number 88, a shirt that CeeDee Lamb currently wears.
The @dallascowboys selected @DezBryant with the 24th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.
He earned three Pro Bowl berths and was a First-team All-Pro player in 2014. pic.twitter.com/N1KSsos6Xt
— NFL Throwback (@nflthrowback) April 13, 2018
The good thing about this news is that the organization has been able to get something good out of the selections with this number. The same is expected to happen heading into this year’s Draft. If so, they could acquire a rookie as relevant as Micah Parsons, just as they did last season.
Now, this is not all, since the rivals that the Cowboys will have to deal with for the following season are known. As usual, they will have their characteristic duels at home and on the road against the Eagles, Giants and the team from Washington, their division opponents.
However, they will have to compete with rivals from both the NFC North and AFC South for 2022, where they will have some interesting matchups at home, as well as tough tests on the road.
#Cowboys 2022 opponents
HOME: CHI (last: 2016), CIN (last: 2016), DET (last: 2018), HTX (last: 2014), IND (last: 2014), NYG, PHI, TB (last: 2018), WAS
AWAY: GB (last: 2015), JAX (last: 2006^), LAR (last: 2018), MIN (last: 2021), OTI (last: 2014), NYG, PHI, WAS
^2014 = London
— Mark Lane (@therealmarklane) January 20, 2022
On the local side, the faces will be seen with the Bears, Lions, Texans, Colts and Buccaneers. And when it comes to road matchups, they’ll have to deal with the Packers, Rams, Jaguars, Vikings and Titans. Due to the extra game that has been implemented since last regular season, it must be remembered that Dallas, by finishing third in the NFC East, had to play with the third in the AFC East. That on that occasion it was the New England Patriots, a duel that ended up being played in week 6, before the Cowboys rest.
However, this time they will have to face the first team of the AFC North after Dallas being in the first position of their division. In this case, they will have a home game against the Bengals. Both Tampa Bay and the Rams appear on the schedule because the same formula will be applied where the division-champion Cowboys will play the NFC South and West champions.
With regard to the entire calendar itself, what is still missing is the pile of dates and times corresponding to each duel. What is certain is that this calendar will be a great test for the Cowboys and all the work they have to do for the next offseason. And without question, the biggest responsibility will rest with head coach Mike McCarthy. Who will have to move the team forward in his third year in office.
