Dak Prescott’s Future

With Dak Prescott’s ankle injury, the Cowboys are at a fork in the road in the progression of their franchise. Two routes lie ahead: one without Prescott, and one with Prescott. Since his contract expires at the end of this season, the Cowboys will have to decide whether they want to resign him or not. If they do resign him, it will come at a hefty price. With this question in mind, let’s see what some experts have to say about the situation.

Analyst Emmanuel Acho, on the show “Speak for Yourself ”, believes Dak Prescott has played his final game in a Dallas Cowboys uniform. Acho further states that there are two reasons that Dak will not play a part in the Cowboys future: either Andy Dalton leads the Cowboys to the playoffs, and therefore Dak is seen as an unnecessary part of the team’s future, or the Cowboys tank and receive a top 15 pick, and so they draft a quarterback to replace Dak. Acho also says that since owner Jerry Jones is a businessman, he would easily take a cheaper, younger quarterback with lots of promise over a quarterback who was on track to sign one of the biggest contracts in NFL History.

This is not a bad idea, but I think Acho is neglecting the fact that Jerry Jones has a “win-now” mindset. Let’s face it, he’s 78 years old, and unless he has a deal with the devil, he probably doesn’t have many years left. Jerry Jones wants one more Super Bowl before finishing off his time with the Cowboys. So then, it would make very little sense for the Cowboys to draft a quarterback even if they have a top 15 pick. Realistically, they would not be drafting Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields unless they trade up a couple picks. They would most likely be drafting someone like Trey Lance or Jamie Newman who would need time (possibly several seasons) to reach their full potential and to develop into a quarterback who could lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl. This would be a bad
decision, because the prime years of key players like Amari Cooper and Ezekiel Elliot would be wasted, as would the last years of key veterans like Tyron Smith, Zach Martin, and Demarcus Lawrence. This simply does not line up with Jerry Jones’ “win-now” mentality. Additionally, using a top 15 draft pick on a quarterback would be pointless. The Cowboys’ most pressing needs are on the defensive end. They’ve given up the most total yards and second most points in the league. The secondary needs help. So, it would make much more sense to draft a defensive back like Patrick Surtain who can make an immediate impact, rather than a quarterback who would take time to make an impact.

That being said, if Andy Dalton does find a way to lead the Cowboys to the playoffs, I do think it is more likely that Jerry Jones lets Prescott walk. However, I know the Cowboys front office would find it very hard to let go of Dak, especially considering his production in the first couple games. In fact, he threw for over 1,856 passing yards, leading the league. And, I think it would be a little far-fetched to say that Prescott’s production would drop drastically after the injury. If he takes his time and heals fully before returning, there’s no reason that his playing ability should decrease. Also, Dak has certain intangibles that are hard to find in other quarterbacks across the league. He is not only a great quarterback but also a fantastic leader and can control the locker room. Jerry Jones recognizes this, and even though he has a reputation of being a “businessman” first, I think that he knows he would be letting a franchise quarterback and a leader go.