Among Dallas Cowboys circles, there’s real belief the 2019 squad enters the season with the strongest roster assembled since the 90’s dynasty that captured three Super Bowls.

Enter a panel of CBS experts ranking of the top 100 NFL players, a list littered with Cowboys. In total, there are nine who make an appearance, two more than the next highest team.

98. Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Cowboys

The man they call The Wolf Hunter had a fantastic rookie season for Dallas, racking up 140 tackles, seven passes defensed, and two interceptions.

Vander Esch’s play was so strong that he moved linebacker Sean Lee to the bench. Despite starting only 11 games his rookie season, Vander Esch did enough to earn his first trip to the Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors.

93. Byron Jones, CB, Cowboys

There were 76 corners who were on the field for at least 350 passing snaps last season, and Jones ranked eighth among that group in PFF’s yards allowed per snap in coverage.

Jones wasted away primarily as a safety for the Cowboys during his first three seasons. Despite zero interceptions on the season, Jones play was strong enough to earn a trip to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career.

86. Jaylon Smith, LB, Cowboys

Last year, he was a breakout star, starting all 16 games and racking up 121 tackles, six quarterback hits, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and a touchdown.

It’s easy to hate the Dallas Cowboys but it is impossible to hate Smith. He was the second-round pick the Cowboys wasted in 2016. In 2018, he became one of the best linebackers in the league, reaching a level of play no one outside Dallas was certain he would ever reach.

79. Amari Cooper, WR, Cowboys

Let’s give you two stat lines: 59-747-3; and 94-1,289-11. The first is Cooper’s 16-game pace with the Raiders prior to a midseason trade to Dallas, and the second is his 16-game pace after the trade.

Ask the Cowboys if there’s any regret in trading a first-round pick to the Oakland Raiders for Amari Cooper. At the time, the goodwill from his high draft status and incredible early production was marred by a lackluster 2017 season. Half a season later, Cooper is ranked as the twelfth best receiver in the league.

72. Travis Frederick, C, Cowboys

Frederick sat out all of last season due to Guillain-Barre syndrome, but all reports out of Cowboys camp this year have been positive.

How good is Travis Frederick? He’s so good that he didn’t even have to play in 2018 to make an appearance on the list. Frederick is CBS’s second-ranked center behind division rival Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles.

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