Dallas will be at the bottom of the NFC east.
The Cowboys in retrospect have gone backwards from the league worst defense last year, especially in the first part of the season. I do think it's going to be as brutal as people are predicting. 8-8 would be a blessing for them, even though they have a relatively easy schedule.
Dallas is going to be very lucky to hit 8-8. Offense hasn't really improved much, it's better, but not like they added some major power to it. Defense, somehow, seems worse than worst in the league. How do you go down from there?!
You mentioned running, I think if we have a successful running game, but I don't think they will stick to it. Maybe for fear of Romo's back...
So let's talk about the Cowboys. The offense was very good last year. They were 5th in the league in points scored, and the only starter they lost was dead-weight-Miles-Austin (who I actually do like and hope he has success elsewhere). The offensive line is young, talented, and added another 1st round pick. There's no reason to believe they won't put up a ton of points again this year, which everyone seems to be overlooking. 8 of the top 10 scoring teams last season made the playoffs, and the two that missed (Dallas and Chicago) just barely missed, so let's not act like that's irrelevant.
On to the defense. The defense isn't going to be good, let's get that out of the way. Cutting Ware was stupid. However, they didn't really have him last year, either. He technically played in 13 games, but he played injured through most of those. He was a hollow shell of his usual self, he had no explosion off the line. So not having him isn't necessarily all that different from last season That said, they resigned Anthony Spencer, who missed all of last season, which has gone under the radar - assuming he stays healthy this year, that's a great move. Even before his breakout season in 2012, he was a stellar run stopper. They also signed Henry Melton, another guy who needs to bounce back from injury, but definitely has potential to fill the gap left by Jason Hatcher.
The LB corps is going to hurt, especially without Sean Lee. He's the heart and soul of that defense, and when he got hurt (every year) the defense took a nosedive. They did actually sign a replacement for him this season. I'm not saying Rolando McClain is that good (he's probably been arrested already), but it's better than the last two years when Lee went down and there was no one to fill the void.
However, most important of all - demoting Monte Kiffin. Remember 2011-2012? The Cowboys defense wasn't all that bad under Rob Ryan, with largely the same guys. When he was inexplicably hired, and Kiffin inexplicably hired, the unit went down hard and fast. They may not have brought back Ryan, but just the fact that Kiffin isn't calling the shots anymore will make a huge difference. The guy could barely stay awake through games, let alone actually call an NFL defense.
So yea. The Cowboys defense won't be good. But I consider it highly unlikely that it will be worse than last year if they can even stay somewhat healthy, and all this "worst defense in history" and "barely college level" stuff is silly. They weren't even the worst in the league last year! In yards, yes, but points are what really matter, and they were 26th in that category a year ago.
If they're smart (which they aren't) they'll run the ball hard and often. They've got a great offensive line and a good running back, the best way to help out your weak defense is to keep it off the field. So if they actually wise up and run the ball a little more, I don't see why they won't be at least as good, if not maybe a little better, than they were a season ago. That's why I have them at 9-7, not at the bottom of the division.