2017 NFL Power Rankings: Where do Los Angeles Rams stand heading into Week 1 preseason?

5. Dallas Cowboys

The 2016 season was filled with plenty of NFL teams emerging out of nowhere to become contenders against high odds, but no team took the cake more than the Dallas Cowboys after finishing with the best record in the NFC during the regular season at 13-3. What’s even more impressive is the Cowboys managed to do all this while being led by two rookies on offense in Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, setting the bar to a whole new level for this duo moving forward.

Most quarterbacks take at least a year or two before looking 100 percent comfortable running an offense at the NFL level, but Prescott looked like a veteran as a rookie when seeing how well he ran the offense for Dallas. Taking a risk by sticking with Prescott over Tony Romo was a bold move for the Cowboys, but all signs point to this decision paying off for the long run when seeing all of the potential surrounding their beloved quarterback.

As for Elliott, the former Buckeyes star was expected to make an impact as a rookie, but nothing like the way he did after leading the league in rushing yards during his first year. Hopefully, this investigation involving a potential suspension for the Dallas running back doesn’t turn into too much of a distraction on Elliott’s end over the next couple of weeks.