5 Cowboys players the Browns need to focus on in Week 1

It’s no secret that the Cleveland Browns will be facing the NFL’s toughest schedule this upcoming regular season, and they’re looking to kick things off with FOX’s Game of the Week when Cleveland takes on the mighty Dallas Cowboys.

With Super Bowl champion coach Mike McCarthy at the helm, expectations are sky high for this team. Jerry Jones’ franchise will be happy with nothing less than an aggressive run in Super Bowl LIX.

The Cowboys, who have won 12 games in each of the last three seasons and made the playoffs three times, have become one of the most competitive teams in the NFL in recent years. The Dallas front office has done a phenomenal job of building a team from solid draft picks who have become some of the league’s best pros. Players like Micah Parsons, CeeDee Lamb and late-round gem Dak Prescott have helped mold this team into the contender it is today.

The first week of the NFL regular season features several exciting player matchups this Sunday, but some of the most important ones are in Cleveland. Here are a few notable Cowboys players the Browns will need to keep an eye on as the regular season begins:

Quarterback Dak Prescott

It’s no surprise that Dak Prescott would be on this list. The Cowboys starting quarterback is entering his ninth NFL season and is having one of the best statistical years of his career. In 2023, Prescott has career-highs in pass completion percentage at 69.5 percent and a QBR rating of 105.9. Given the expected inconsistency of the run game, the Browns will expect him to throw early and often.

The former Mississippi State Bulldog has been nothing short of dominant since entering the NFL and earning a starting position, though many believe he still has a lot to prove. After the bitter taste last year’s playoffs left for the Cowboys, Prescott will be looking for a big performance in his first start since the loss.

Middle linebacker Trevon Diggs

Many eyes have been on cornerback Trevon Diggs since the injury announcement of All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland. Diggs burst onto the scene as a cornerhawk ballhawk who could make plays on almost any pass he could get his hands on. He has recently developed into a very solid cornerback who has plenty of experience playing against some of the league’s top wide receivers.

Last season, Diggs had the highest PFF grade of his career, an 80.7, which is a solid grade. While he hasn’t thrown as many catches recently as he did in his rookie season, he’s developed into a more refined defensive back that the Browns can’t afford to ignore. The Cowboys’ current top cornerback will likely have to guard Amari Cooper as a long-term injury impacts Bland’s availability. It remains to be seen how he handles the pressure of guarding the Browns’ most talented pass catchers.

TE Jake Ferguson

The third-year Cowboys prospect is one the Browns will need to pay more attention to than most. On a team with limited skill-set talent around CeeDee Lamb, tight end Jake Ferguson has emerged as one of the league’s most promising tight ends in 2023. After a mostly quiet rookie season when he was drafted 129th overall, Dak Prescott quickly established himself as one of the team’s most reliable pass-catchers.

Ferguson managed to collect 71 catches for 761 yards and five touchdowns in 2023. Those stats quickly put him in the top 10 tight ends in the NFL, especially considering his youth and potential. With so many teams focusing on CeeDee Lamb, quarterback Dak Prescott made sure to take advantage of the open routes he was given. Cleveland can’t afford to make the same mistakes that so many defenses made in 2023, often leaving Ferguson unattended.

LB Micah Parsons

As one of the NFL’s best linebackers and a multiple All-Pro award winner, Parsons is one of the most important players on the Dallas roster. The young defensive star has quickly become not only one of the league’s best linebackers, but perhaps one of the best defenders in all of football. He has finished in the top three in Defensive Player of the Year voting for all three seasons of his career and is looking to finally earn that distinction.

Parsons is known for his hybrid skills as both a defensive end and linebacker. That makes him one of the league’s most versatile defenders and a tough guy to game-plan. Having had double-digit sacks in all three of his NFL seasons, the Browns will look to eliminate his pass-rushing ability early in Week 1.

WR CeeDee Lamb

Last but not least is the 2023 receptions leader and one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Fifth-year wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is having by far his best season since entering the pros. Lamb managed to break career highs in receptions, yards and touchdowns. His league-leading 135 receptions were by far the most in the NFL, while Tyreek Hill finished second with 119. After everyone fought to stop Lamb last season, you have to wonder what the game plan is for the Browns this Sunday.

The Browns’ defensive line remains in great shape and is ready for the challenge of facing a very talented quarterback. All three of the Browns’ cornerbacks have the experience and skills to match up with Lamb when the time comes. The Cowboys wide receiver is coming off a contract suspension that didn’t end until Aug. 26 and made him one of the league’s highest-paid quarterbacks. During that time, CeeDee Lamb didn’t appear in a single preseason game for Dallas and has had very limited practice time. It will be interesting to see if he’s ready to compete at his best against the Browns in Week 1.

This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: 5 Cowboys players the Browns need to focus on in Week 1