One of the most exciting rookies entering the NFL this season is Dez Bryant, the wide receiver from Oklahoma State who fell to Dallas late in the first round.

Reports indicate that he is catching everything in sight and that, even if he is the third wide receiver by definition, he will be the first receiver by performance no later than by the end of the season.

Some seem to think it’s time to start carving Bryant’s bust for the Hall of Fame and that he makes Dallas an unstoppable offense that could be destined for the Super Bowl. To those people I say whoa, whoa, whoa, let’s hold on just a minute.

Without question the Cowboys have a great deal of offensive skill talent and Bryant will very likely be one piece of that puzzle. Tony Romo has been a good to very good quarterback, at least during the regular season. There’s Miles Austin, who made this blog look good last season by breaking out after we predicted he would well before the preseason started.

There’s Roy Williams, who has underperformed since Owner Jerry Jones traded a ransom for him but who also has the skills to be a productive wideout.

There’s the speed back in Felix Jones and the power back in Marion Barber III and they are accompanied by Tashard Choice, a more than solid reserve who could probably start on a handful or more teams. Rounding out the talent are Jason Witten, who arguably is the best tight end in the league, and a collection of parts like Patrick Crayton and Kevin Ogletree, who fill important roles on good teams.

So what’s wrong? Why should we not anoint Dallas the NFC representative in the Super Bowl?

Do you remember watching Tony Romo get smushed by a dominant Vikings defensive line in a second round playoff game in January? I was there watching as aging left tackle Flozell Adams was having his way with defensive end Jared Allen until he got hurt. That changed the entire complexion of the game.

Doug Free replaced Flozell the Hotel, who has since been released, and Free became a turnstile for Allen and Ray Edwards, and the Vikings went on to a dominant 34-3 win.

The most serious question facing Dallas at its offensive skill positions is how are there going to be enough balls to go around this season. But despite being destroyed in the playoff game, Jones, Wade Phillips and the Cowboys brass did little to upgrade that line during the offseason.

At the moment, Free is penciled in as the Cowboys’ left tackle for the season. Defensive ends around the league must be licking their respective chops at that news. The team did trade disappointing linebacker Bobby Carpenter to the St. Louis Rams for Alex Barron. That provides a body. But the fact that St. Louis would trade Barron for Carpenter should give an indication of how far the tackle had slipped in their eyes.

Left tackle also isn’t the only question mark on the line. Free actually played alright by most accounts when he replaced Marc Colombo at right tackle while the latter was injured. Colombo returns for another season but he is aging and likely is a point in his career where he will always be prone to miss a game or several.

The talk is that the three of them are competing fiercely for the two starting spots. Well, that’s great. But just because three guys are fighting hard for a starting job doesn’t mean any of them are going to suddenly start playing well.

Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t just to be a Cowboy hater. The weapons on offense are plentiful and they are for real. That is a scary, scary bunch of skill players. The defense likely will be very good as well. I don’t doubt for a second that the Cowboys are the favorite to win the division again.

But which of those wideouts is going to catch the passes Romo throws while he is laying on his back?

Yes, that was a trick question.

Dallas should win many games this year and the offense should be very productive. Fantasy football points should abound.

But let’s not get carried away just yet. Romo has been mostly durable during his days as Dallas’ starter. If he is constantly evading a swarming pass rush it will lead to incompletions, could involve interceptions and, in a worst case scenario, result in injuries. At a minimum it would make it difficult for Dallas to improve on a less-than-stellar performance inside the Red Zone, where the Cowboys in 2009 seemed to employ the offensive version of the bend-but-don’t-break philosophy typically applied to defenses that give up a lot of yards but hold tough inside the 20s.

If too many of those potential downsides occur they can derail even the best and most talented of teams – no matter how many accolades Dez Bryant and his new teammates get between now and throughout the season.