To prep you for the 2018 NFL season, ESPN has team-by-team in-depth previews with a look at each squad's season outlook, win total number and Super Bowl odds. NFL handicapper Warren Sharp and Football Outsiders' team of Bryan Knowles, Vince Verhei, Scott Kacsmar and Rivers McCown walk you through the best bets for all 32 teams.
Here's our ultimate betting preview for the 2018 NFL season.
Click on the links below to go directly to your team.
ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN | CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND | JAC | KC | LAC | LAR | MIA | MIN | NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | OAK | PHI | PIT | SF | SEA | TB | TEN | WAS
Note: Odds are from the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook as of Sept. 4.
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
Super Bowl odds: 30-1 (opened 20-1)
Win total: 8.5 (Over +120/Under -140)
FPI projection rank: 13
Football Outsiders DVOA projection rank: 8
Football Outsiders schedule rank: 17
Sharp: The Cowboys' passing game after the departures of Dez Bryant and Jason Witten is in flux, but moving on from both was overdue from a financial standpoint. The issue was timing: Bryant was cut on April 13, well after the heart of free agency. As such, Dallas could not replace him with a high-end veteran and resorted to drafting Michael Gallup in the third round. Witten retired the day after the draft.
Witten played 99 percent of the Cowboys' 2017 offensive snaps, while Bryant played 84 percent; no other Dallas non-quarterback skill-position player reached 65 percent. Witten and Bryant combined for 33 red zone targets; no other Cowboy topped seven. There is a massive production void in this pass-catcher corps.
From 2015-2017, Dallas spent the ninth-least cap money on its offensive line. But in 2018, the Cowboys are spending the most cap money of any team on their offensive line and are now dealing with massive injuries. Center Travis Frederick is out indefinitely with a concerning illness, and last week, the starting offensive line from left to right was Cameron Fleming, Connor Williams, Joe Looney, Kadeem Edwards and Chaz Green. That's a big concern.
The Cowboys don't pass enough on first down or to their running backs. If they improve in these areas in 2018, I'd have more optimism. But if the Cowboys are going to take a step forward offensively, they must diversify their offense and use more running back passes and more Dak Prescott runs. If they hesitate, 2018 will likely produce another middling record and the seventh postseason watching from the couch in the past nine years.