Cowboys positional review: How does Dallas see Dak Prescott fitting into future?
By Jon Machota Mar 4, 2020
With the start of NFL free agency only a couple of weeks away and the draft less than two months down the road, we’re taking a look at the Cowboys roster to see where it has depth and where it will need help in the near future.
This nine-part series begins with the most important position: Quarterback.
How they performed in 2019:
For the fourth consecutive season, Dak Prescott started every game for the Cowboys, throwing for career highs of 4,902 yards and 30 touchdowns. His 99.7 passer rating was the second-best of his career, trailing only his rookie season when he posted a 104.9 rating.
Most thought Prescott would receive a new contract before the start of the 2019 season. Negotiations stalled in September, however, and they were tabled for the remainder of the season as the quarterback played under the final year of his rookie deal.
According to Football Outsiders, Prescott was on the field for 1,124 snaps, which represented 99.6 percent of Dallas’ offensive plays last season. Backup quarterback Cooper Rush took only five snaps. The only quarterbacks to take more snaps than Prescott were Carson Wentz (1,169), Jameis Winston (1,149) and Tom Brady (1,142).
Prescott was in the MVP conversation through the first 11 weeks of the season. But following a three-touchdown, 444-yard day at Detroit in mid-November, his play started to drop off. Prescott wasn’t as effective in the wet and windy conditions in New England. The offense struggled to get anything going until it was too late the following two games against the Bills and Bears. Prescott then injured his throwing shoulder during a Week 15 win over the Rams, causing him to be off his game the following week in a season-deciding loss at Philadelphia. Prescott said the injury would not require offseason surgery.
Prescott, 26, knows he is far from a finished product. He has spent the last two offseasons improving his mechanics while working with 3DQB coach John Beck. One of the adjustments to his throwing motion included keeping his back leg planted longer, allowing him to throw with better accuracy. He’s expected to continue working with Beck this offseason.
The future:
The expectation is that the Cowboys will enter the 2020 season with the same two quarterbacks active on gamedays. Prescott will be the starter, and Rush will be the backup.
Despite his current contract situation, Prescott is not expected to hit free agency. Next Tuesday marks the deadline for NFL teams to place the franchise tag on a player on their roster. If the Cowboys are unable to work out a long-term deal with Prescott by then, they will use the exclusive rights tag, keeping him in Dallas for another season at roughly $33 million and also extending the window to negotiate a long-term extension. Despite outside speculation about possibly kicking the tires on signing Brady or any other veteran free-agent quarterback, that’s not part of Dallas’ plan. The Cowboys are convinced Prescott is their franchise QB even though many are questioning their commitment because he is still without a new contract. The plan is to make him one of the game’s highest-paid players.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones met with Prescott’s representatives last week during the NFL combine in Indianapolis. It was the first face-to-face meeting between the two parties since September. Last week, Jones compared his feelings about having Prescott going forward to the same feelings he has about having his son, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones, with the franchise.
“There’s no going forward without Stephen or one of your family members,” Jerry Jones said, “so you got to get it figured out … Of course we’re going to keep his rights. It’s not a sensitive thing. There’s already been more put on the table to show that we’re going to do everything it takes. When you start talking about this kind of money, the top end of it is not an indication of how you feel. It’s pretty hard to deny you’re interested if you’re willing to pay $100 but not willing to pay $101. You’re interested and trying to act right. It’s just a question of getting it done.”
If the tag is placed on Prescott, he could choose to skip the voluntary portion of the team’s offseason program, a less-than-ideal scenario for any team much less one with a new head coach. The Cowboys need their franchise quarterback to be at these workouts to help install any changes Mike McCarthy is looking to make to the offense.
“It’s not a concern of mine,” Jerry Jones said. “Dak understands, in my mind, one of the great things about Dak is his commitment to building a team. I don’t have an issue there.”
How things could change this offseason:
No major changes are likely at the position. Rush is a restricted free agent, but the Cowboys are expected to tender him, meaning they would be able to match any offer another team made. With all the holes they have on defense, it’s unlikely they would be willing to spend much in free agency or use a late-round pick on a potential backup QB. They’ll likely sign an undrafted player after the draft to have another arm for offseason work.