Blue-chip series: Cowboys players who can become stars in 2025

How many Pro Bowlers do you think the Cowboys will have this season?

A few days ago we published the first part of our series on Cowboys ‘blue-chip’ players. Here is a refresher on what constitutes a blue-chip talent. The bare minimum should be an All-Pro level talent. Pro Bowls have become more subjective to the point where the bar to get in has been lowered. All-Pro nominations are harder to come by, considering there is usually one player picked for each position outside of wide receiver, the defensive line, and the secondary.

Outside of being considered a first- or second-team All-Pro, a blue-chip player needs to be someone a team builds around and is a cornerstone player for the franchise. They should also be in the conversation to be the best at their position. Those attributes must be a package deal; you should not have one without the other.

For part two of this series, we will examine which Dallas Cowboys players could become blue-chip players in 2025. The names in this category are just outside the team’s premier talent.

Players below have shown flashes that when they are at their peak, they can be considered one of the top ten players at their positions, but without doing so at a consistent level. If things can become more consistent for them this season, there’s a chance they join CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons, Tyler Smith, and Brandon Aubrey as blue-chip players.

Players who could become Blue-Chip players in 2025:

Dak Prescott: Coming off his MVP runner-up 2023 season, Dak Prescott was considered a blue-chip player for Dallas. However, after missing another season due to injury, there can’t be the same shoe-in assumption that he gets back to that level without showing he can repeat it on the field.

Pro Football Focus graded Prescott as the second-highest (90.8) quarterback during the 2023 regular season. He finished with 36 passing touchdowns, leading the NFL. He also had 38 big-time throws (a pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window), first among his peers.

During his MVP-level campaign, Prescott just had Lamb on the outside as the alpha of the pass-catching group. Based on surrounding talent alone, there should be enough confidence that Prescott can be that player again with Lamb and Pickens as his outside weapons and a healthy, up-and-coming offensive line. Prescott's not being considered a blue-chip player is not a slight to him and his decade-long stint in Dallas. It’s just an exclusive group to be a part of.

There are only a handful of blue-chip talents at quarterback around the NFL, like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson. Prescott sits with Justin Herbert, Matthew Stafford, and Jalen Hurts on being just outside the group, but nothing says he can’t get there this season if he’s healthy and the Brian Schottenheimer scheme plays to his strengths.

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