Where do Dak and the Cowboys Go From Here?
Photo by AP Photo/Tony Avelar
Dallas, Texas (PSF) - Here we are again in the year 2023 and yet again another Dallas Cowboys playoff loss has happened. It has now been 27 years since Dallas has reached a Super Bowl, let alone a conference championship game. Why has this drought continued on for so long? The answer is easy, it is because of mediocre quarterback play.
This past Sunday the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers met in the divisional round where the 49ers came out with a win, 19-12. In most fans eyes, this was a bad game from the 49ers. The Cowboys defense surprised most, slowing down and containing the red hot 49ers offense. The offensive side of the ball is the main reason Dallas was denied a conference championship appearance. Tony Pollard also exited the game in the 2nd quarter due to a broken fibula. Two key mistakes came in the form of Dak Prescott thrown interceptions. The first interception resulted in a San Francisco field goal and the second one came in the red zone where Dallas looked like they were about to score.
You cannot have these kinds of mistakes from your franchise quarterback and this has been the big issue for Prescott this year, leading the league in interceptions despite missing five games due to injury. Dak Prescott signed a 4 year, $165 million dollar contract just two seasons ago and he is scheduled to take a $31 million dollar cap hit for the Cowboys next season. So Jerry and Stephen Jones need to ask themselves, is Dak the best option going forward?
In my opinion the answer should be no. Dak is entering his eighth year in the league next season and is no longer looking like the surgical pocket passer he once was. The Cowboys championship window is only open for a few more years with the young stars they have on contract and they can no longer waste the careers of superstar players anymore. They need a new quarterback and it is not likely that they could get one of the top guys in the league, so they should bring in a rookie.
This is where it gets tricky for Dallas, because they hold the 26th pick in the first round in the upcoming draft and most of the top quarterback prospects are not projected to be there. Their best option should be to trade up with a team that holds a top 15 pick and hope either CJ Stroud or Will Levis ends up in there hands. They could trade Dak and next season’s first round pick to a quarterback needy team in the top 10, but that most likely will not work because of Prescott’s contract. The most viable option for Jerry and Stephen Jones would be to take a quarterback in round 2 or 3 and have him develop and learn under Dak next season.
An upcoming quarterback like Anthony Richardson out of Florida could be this pick as scouts are saying he has boom or bust talent. The Cowboys front office definitely has some thinking to do if they want to get back to the glory days.