Turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and the Dallas Cowboys. There’s nothing better than that on Thanksgiving. Even if your friends and family aren’t football fans or fans of America’s Team, you would be hard-pressed to find a television in the U.S that doesn’t have the Cowboys game on in the afternoon on Turkey Day.
The 2025 season has been marked by many ups and downs. Through it all, the Cowboys have found a way to get back to .500 and still have the slightest chance to make a run at the playoffs. Regardless
of how the year may end for Dallas, here are five things about the 2025 Cowboys to be thankful for this holiday season.
First point: Thankful for George Pickens & CeeDee Lamb
We know the Herschel Walker trade is probably the most famous in Cowboys history, but what trade has been the most successful for Dallas in acquiring a player? Amari Cooper would certainly be at the top of the list for what he meant to the team during the three and a half years he was in Dallas.
Outside of that, there haven’t been many trades to go in the Cowboys’ favor when trading for a player. George Pickens might have skyrocketed all the way to the top of that list. In just one season, he’s become the dynamic playmaker the front office was hoping for, already having over 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns. A big caveat to the trade’s success will be whether Jerry Jones can get a long-term deal done with Pickens in the offseason. It sounds like the Cowboys have a plan to figure that out.
There are a few other reasons to be thankful for the Pickens trade. The first is what the Cowboys gave up in draft capital. Usually, for a wide receiver of Pickens’ age (24) and talent, that would require a price tag of at least a second-round pick and possibly a first. Instead, his “character” issues dropped his price to a third- and a fifth-round pick. Pennies for what Dallas has gotten in return.
The other reason would be how amazing CeeDee Lamb has been with Pickens in the building. Even before the trade was finalized, Pickens mentioned that he and Lamb had already known each other. Lamb was one of the first people he reached out to when he learned he was going to Dallas.
Lamb could have stomped his feet and demanded a trade with Pickens coming in and taking his targets away, but instead, he embraced the idea of not having a great No. 1 and No. 2 wide receiver tandem, but having two No. 1s on offense. Their budding relationship this season has fans excited for the future, depending on whether the front office works out a long-term deal.
Second point: Thankful for Quinnen Williams
So the Pickens trade is probably at the top of the list right now, but not too far behind it sits Quinnen Williams. If he were with the Cowboys defense for an entire season, it would be right up there with Pickens in terms of impact on the team.
That’s how much Williams has shown in just two games with Dallas, rejuvenating the lifeless defense and turning the unit into a respectable one. Quinnen Williams has generated 13 pressures and 1.5 sacks for a 22.4% pressure rate (3rd-highest in NFL, min. 20 pass rushes) in Weeks 11 and 12, per NFL pro. After a slow start to his season in New York, Williams has turned back into the player he’s shown to be over his career.
His presence helps fill the void left by Micah Parsons as a premier defensive player who creates gravity. Someone who attracts so much attention from offensive linemen and coordinators that it opens opportunities for others around him. Look at Osa Odighizuwa. After totaling just 17 pressures (8.0%) in nine games prior to the Cowboys’ bye and acquisition of Quinnen Williams, Osa Odighizuwa has created 9 pressures (14.8%) in the last two weeks, per NFL Pro. The whole defensive tackle unit has improved dramatically, now featuring three dominant players who have vastly improved their run defense.
All three in Williams, Odighizuwa, and Kenny Clark are under contract for the next few years. The contracts for Williams and Clark may have to be figured out to free up some cap space to spend in other areas, but Jerry Jones said it’s possible to make it work, paying three defensive tackles around $20 million a piece. From what we’ve seen in production over two weeks, anything is possible.
Third point: Thankful for Jerry Jones
Maybe it was the Netflix documentary that came out over the summer that got Jerry Jones’s blood boiling to do some wheeling and dealing this year, but it’s hard to remember the Cowboys ever trading for as many players as they have recently. Since March, Dallas has made trades to acquire seven players (Kaiir Elam, Kenneth Murray, Joe Milton, George Pickens, Kenny Clark, Logan Wilson, and Quinnen Williams).
Not all of them have panned out like the one for Elam, who was recently released from the team, but the process was sound. Jones traded for a former first-round pick in Elam, who the team was very high on coming out of college, and gave up just a fifth-round pick to get him. You take a chance on a guy like that. If we were going off of hype coming out of training camp, there might not have been anyone else with a bigger star on their helmet than Elam.
The rest of the moves have been either solid or home runs. Milton is a part of the team’s future and can’t be judged in a vacuum this year. Wilson is still getting his feet wet, and despite poor play at times, Murray has been a starter at linebacker all season. Dallas traded a sixth-round pick for Murray.
The other moves have been home runs. Trading isn’t the only thing a general manager is judged on, too. Signing free agents and hiring the right head coach are all a part of the job description. In year one, the Brian Schottenheimer experiment has gone better than expected, and the signing of Javonte Williams has been outstanding value for the production he’s given on offense, being the team’s bell cow.
Is Jerry Jones the only one making these moves? No. Stephen Jones and Will McClay deserve their flowers, too. But this aggressive nature from Jones has helped give the team the tools to remain competitive in Schottenheimer’s first season and still in playoff contention in November.
The Micah Parsons trade could have, and may still, bite the Cowboys general manager in the rear, but there are two more first-round picks up the sleeve of Jones for the 2026 class that will put a bow on what could be a year to remember for the Gambler in the acquisition department.
Fourth point: Thankful for Dak Prescott
There’s no one better to lead the Dallas Cowboys right now than Dak Prescott. Not only is he having a great year offensively, but his leadership skills have been his greatest asset this season. Outside of CeeDee Lamb, he’s the other person who has made George Pickens so successful. After the team acquired the wide receiver, they ensured that his locker was placed directly next to Prescott’s in the locker room. Pickens’ maturity may have been influenced by the guidance he received from Prescott, who has been offering him valuable pointers along the way.
The toughest part about having a new play-caller on offense when a new head coach gets hired is that the relationship between him and the quarterback might have to be built over the course of that season. That hasn’t been the case between Brian Schottenheimer and Prescott. Both men have been familiar with each other for a few years now, and Prescott was the one advocating for Schotty when the Joneses were looking for the team’s next head coach. That relationship has helped generate one of the best offenses in the NFL.
Losing a teammate is incalculable. After the loss of Marshawn Kneeland, Prescott has leaned into his leadership and helped steer the Cowboys to two critical wins towards their postseason aspirations. During pregame huddles, Prescott’s messaging remains the same in that everything they do is for No. 94.
Fifth point: Thankful for the greatest fans in the world
Love them or hate them, the Dallas Cowboys have the best and most loyal fanbase in the world. This isn’t just a 2025 sentiment, but something everyone here at Blogging The Boys feels every single season. We are all beyond thankful for the greatest fans in the world.
All of the content on the site is driven not only by a passion for the Cowboys but also by a desire to create interactions and conversation around the team in the comments and on social media. This season has not been a banner year, but the final stretch looks exciting and offers plenty to be hopeful about in the future.
From all of us here at Blogging The Boys, Happy Thanksgiving and go Cowboys!
