As the offseason begins, the Dallas Cowboys have decisions to make regarding their two primary starting quarterback’s from the 2020 season. Not only is franchise QB Dak Prescott a free agent, but so is one-year backup Andy Dalton.
Currently the Cowboys don’t have anyone under contract with extensive starting experience, but is there a high level of concern? Recently Pro Football Focus took a look at every NFL team’s QB situation. For the Cowboys, their need level was listed under “Low: Searching for backups in the case of injury disaster.”
The ongoing question of “Should the Cowboys pay Dak?” is likely (and thankfully) going to come to an end in the coming weeks. Prescott deserves to receive a decent-sized long-term deal in Dallas, even if he is coming off a gruesome ankle injury.
Prescott shined with first-time play-caller Kellen Moore back in 2019, producing a top-10 PFF grade at the position while ranking as the third-most valuable quarterback in the NFL per PFF WAR. He followed that up with a fiery start in 2020 before going down with that season-ending injury in Week 5, ranking seventh among quarterbacks in PFF grade through the first five weeks of the season (85.2) and leading the league in deep passing yards with 507. He has proven to be more than capable of performing at a high level in any given year, and that’s not something a lot of NFL teams can say they have at quarterback.
Prescott will likely be put under the franchise tag by the Cowboys to extend the contract talks to July 15 but there is optimism a long-term deal can come together before the deadline.
Before a horrific ankle injury, Prescott was on pace to break the single-season record for passing yards. Landing in the top 10 for PFF’s QB grades in the first five weeks of 2020, his playing level was at an all-time high.
Barring a setback, Prescott will come into 2021 with high expectations to return Dallas to the playoffs.
Dalton is also a free agent and had an impact on the Cowboys winning three straight games late in the season, propelling them into contention in the lowly NFC East before a dismal loss in Week 17.
[listicle id=663767][listicle id=663801][lawrence-newsletter]