The Dallas Cowboys head into the off-season with a ton of cap space to work with and it’s likely they will need every last bit of it with the number of players scheduled to hit the free market.
Pro Football Focus released their assessment of the top 100 free agents last week, and spoiler alert, this read isn’t for the faint of heart. Their list is littered with Cowboys. As with all football teams, it begins and ends with the quarterback, and you don’t have to scroll far to find the name of Dak Prescott who comes in at No. 2 behind Drew Brees. An excerpt from his write up is below:
2. QB Dak Prescott
He finished with the No. 11 overall grade in the league at 80.3, his best mark since his rookie season, and Prescott ranked sixth in the league in positively graded throws…Given Prescott’s PFF rankings of eighth, 18th, 19th, and now 11th, it’s fair to place him in the middle tier of NFL quarterbacks who can have valuable seasons in the right ecosystem.
The question of how much to pay Prescott is moot. It’s been reported the Dallas brain trust will apply the franchise tag while a long-term deal is worked out. Because the Cowboys played coy with their franchise’s most important player, the price has only gone up. If they wait until Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes gets a new deal, it can only get worse.
Prescott bet on himself in 2019 and it paid off. He set personal bests in yards, touchdowns and yards per attempt. Perhaps Prescott’s ceiling isn’t as high as some of the league’s best, but he’s shown flashes of belonging among the elite in the NFL.
The first position player on the list is wide receiver Amari Cooper, who comes in at No. 6 overall. The boost he’s provided to Prescott and the Dallas offense can’t be understated.
He has experienced difficulties on the road, something our very own KD Drummond wrote about in late November. Even with those issues, as well as some nagging injuries he dealt with throughout the entirety of the year, he set career bests in receiving yards, yards per reception as well as touchdowns. His arrival in Dallas coincided not so coincidentally with Prescott’s return to form (as well as the No. 2 offense by DVOA in 2019). From PFF:
6. WR Amari Cooper
The Cowboys’ passing offense has been one of the league’s best with Cooper on the field, netting 122.0 EPA on his 907 plays compared to just 2.95 EPA on 425 plays without him. That massive difference is the best explanation for quarterback Dak Prescott’s increase in production and Cooper’s spot atop the offensive free agent list.
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