FRISCO, Texas — An NFL executive who ranked the Dallas Cowboys ahead of the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions in the NFC told Mike Sando of The Athletic that Dallas has a top-five offense with continuity, in a preseason poll published Wednesday.
Six executives ranked all 16 NFC teams under the condition of anonymity. Dallas finished fourth with an average vote of 4.3. The 49ers finished sixth with an average of 5.8, and the Lions finished eighth with an average of 7.2. Both San Francisco and Detroit carry a Vegas win total of 10.5, tied for second in the conference. Sando listed the Cowboys at 9.5.
“I questioned whether I could really have Dallas over San Francisco and Detroit, but I know what I’m getting with that (Cowboys) offense,” the executive who ranked Dallas ahead of both said. “That is a top-five offense with continuity, while the Lions are breaking in a new OC, and the Niners are coming off all the injury woes.”
Sando wrote that all six executives consider the Dallas offense formidable.
Dallas Cowboys Offense Returns Its 2025 Production
Last season, Dallas averaged 391.9 yards per game, second in the NFL. The Cowboys scored 27.7 points per game, seventh. They averaged 266.3 passing yards and 125.6 rushing yards per game, and finished 7-9-1 with 471 points.
Dak Prescott threw for 4,552 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 17 games. He made his fourth Pro Bowl. George Pickens caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards in his first season with Dallas. He was named second-team All-Pro. CeeDee Lamb had 75 catches for 1,077 yards in 14 games.
Dallas returns all 11 offensive starters from 2025, according to Sports Illustrated.
Where The 49ers And Lions Landed In The NFL Executives’ Poll
Sando wrote that there is a gap between San Francisco’s Vegas win total, tied for second in the NFC, and where the voters placed the 49ers.
“There is something missing with that group,” the voter who ranked San Francisco sixth in the NFC said. “You can break down their personnel and come out with average in a lot of places. I would probably take Philly’s history over San Francisco. They are very similar to Detroit, but I think Detroit is probably first.”
Detroit’s Vegas total ranks far higher than the voters’ expectations, Sando wrote. One executive said the Lions may not have enough on defense to hold up and that the offensive line remains a concern.
“They are teetering on the seesaw of whether they’re going to go into one of those two-year dips to restock the roster with draft picks,” the voter who ranked Detroit lowest said.
Three of the six executives placed Dallas in the Super Bowl contender tier. The 49ers also drew three Super Bowl contender votes. Detroit drew one Super Bowl contender vote, four division contender votes, and one sub-.500 vote.
Dallas hosts San Francisco on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 3:25 p.m. CT on Fox. The Cowboys do not play Detroit in the 2026 regular season.
