PFF: 2 Cowboys in NFL’s top 20 for 2024, 49ers place 7 in top 50

The Dallas Cowboys are always well represented in polls of the NFL’s best players. Sure, there are arguments about where their quarterback sits amongst his peers, but by and large most publications corroborate that the Texas stars have more than their fair share of top-tier talent.

That talent hasn’t been enough to get them over the top, but it has allowed them to remain competitive for division titles year after year. 2024 should be no different, with Pro Football Focus identifying one top-five player, and two in the top 20. That’s no comparison to their division mates or longtime rivals however.

The Philadelphia Eagles have three of the top 50 while the San Francisco 49ers have a whopping seven players named, with four of them in the top 10. Combined with the four Detroit Lions on the overall list, that’s 32% of the league’s best players centered around the top NFC contenders. Throw in the back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, with a contingent of six players, things start to look strange. Are 44% of the league’s best players really on just five of the league’s 32 squads?

There’s far too much parity to believe that, so perhaps there’s a level of implicit bias going on in these evaluations. With training camp just days away, all of these lists will lose their importance as teams start their journeys to prove it on the field. For now, though, here’s where all of the NFC East players rank.