I am one of those tortured Texas souls who is a huge fan of the Dallas Cowboys. I have loved the team since I was a kid, got to watch their Super Bowl dynasty era of the 1990s and have lived with the constant disappointment since that last title in 1996. So yes, I'm looking forward to another season of highs and lows in the hopes of my team finally making an actual effort to win a Super Bowl. While the 2024-2025 NFL schedule has not released yet (it will on May 15), we do know who the Cowboys will play to kick off the new season.

Dallas Cowboys Interesting Off Season

Oh boy, it's been an interesting off season for the Dallas Cowboys to say the least. After that baffling and heartbreaking loss to the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the playoffs, owner and general manager Jerry Jones said the Cowboys were "all in" for next season. Then their defensive coordinator leaves followed by their starting running back, then their center, then their left tackle, then they don't sign anyone in the opening days of free agency. Someone doesn't know what "all in" means.

The Cowboys did bring in someone with a very good defensive mind, Mike Zimmer, to run the defense so that group could be even better than they were last season, minus the playoff debacle. They brought back running back Ezekiel Elliott after spending one season with the New England Patriots. The Cowboys draft was okay. I'm optimistic but it's a very cautious optimism.

Contracts are Due

Head coach Mike McCarthy is in the last year of his contract, so is starting quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Linebacker phenom Micah Parsons is looking for that big contract, too. If this upcoming season is a failure, meaning they must, at minimum, get to the NFC Championship game, the Cowboys could be in for some massive changes going into the following season.

Personally, I would love to see Jerry Jones finally sell the team. Jerry, and his son Stephen, are the worst football minds in the game and are the one and only reason this team hasn't won a championship in 28 years now.

Season Kickoff

It all begins on Sunday, September 8 in Cleveland as the Dallas Cowboys open their season against the Browns. It will be FOX's "Game of the Week" and will feature the broadcast debut of 7-time NFL Champion and future NFL Hall of Famer Tom Brady in the booth with Kevin Burkhardt.

It'll be a fun season, for sure. Can the Dallas Cowboys actually win it counts? Can the Kansas City Chiefs be the first NFL franchise to win three Super Bowls in a row? Will Thursday and Monday night games not suck all season long? All those questions and more will be answered when the NFL season kicks off Thursday night, September 5, in Kansas City when the Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens.

Go Cowboys!

Here are the 28 East Texans Who Have Played in the Super Bowl

There have been hundreds of East Texans who have made it to the National Football League. Only a few of those East Texas athletes have made it all the way to the Super Bowl.

Gallery Credit: Getty Images, YouTube