The Dallas Cowboys are about to win the NFC East for the second time in three years. That’s the good news. The bad news is Dak Prescott is making himself a lot of money. Dak saved the franchise. Dallas was left in turmoil when Tony Romo got injured and then retired. Dak Prescott will enter the final year of his rookie contract a year from now and will be comanding a new deal. Dallas should learn from the Jaguars. Say no to Dak.
Dak needs a great running back. Dak needs a great pass rush. Dak needs those great linebackers. Dak needs Amari Cooper. Dak needs that dominant offensive line. Doesn’t that sound a hell of a lot like Blake Bortles? The Jags were fooled. Bortles led the Jags to the AFC Title game. Bortles also had everything. A play caller that designed everything around him. A dominant running game. A solid offensive line. A dynamic defense that could keep the game close. Bortles landed a 3-year deal worth $54 million a screwed Jacksonville moving forward. less than a year later, the Jags are already done with the Boat.
- Prescott throwing to Cooper: 75.5 percent, 6-2 TD-INT ratio, 137.5 passer rating, 12.1 yards per attempt
- Prescott throwing to everyone else: 67.1 percent. 11-5 TD-INT ratio, 90.8 passer rating, 6.8 yards per attempt
I was not in favor of the Amari Cooper but there is no denying that Cooper has made a world of difference in the offense. The problem is if Dallas gives Prescott a mega contract, guys like Amari Cooper will no longer be on the roster. Byron Jones, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Ezekiel Elliott also need contract extensions in the near future. Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esh are also playing on rookie deals and have to be kept. We all saw what Dak looked like when Ezekiel Elliott was suspended. It was ugly.
This is the best things will ever get in Dallas during the Dak Prescott era because they aren’t paying him anything. Prescott will make $630 thousand over the course of the entire season. Dallas only has $6 million in cap space this season as it is. I can’t see how Prescott settles for anything less than $20 million per year given how crazy the quarterback market has gotten.
The truth is Dak Prescott is a totally limited quarterback. He’s frankly not very good. Prescott ranks 18th in the NFL with 18 touchdown passes. He’s also thrown 7 interceptions despite averaging less than 8 yards per pass. Dak also has a serious fumbling issue coughing the ball up 12 times. Totally unacceptable. Dallas’ defense has been fantastic this year and the team’s total turnover differential on the season is 0.
The Cowboys are not good. I know this because point differential is a real thing. Here’s how Dallas ranks in that category… the answer is not great. Dallas is plus 30 points over their opponents on the season. That ranks 12th in the NFL. Only the Vikings would rank worse out of scheduled playoff teams. The Saints, by comparison, have outscored their opponents by 176 points. Good luck beating them in New Orleans. Oh, did I mention Dallas is going to have to travel, a lot IF they advance in the
Look, Dallas is hot. I’m not denying that. The problem is they already peaked. It can never get better than this as long as Dak Prescott is the quarterback. 2018 will be the last serious run the Cowboys have because Dak Prescott is playing on a dirt cheap contract. Learn from others mistakes. Don’t pay Dak Prescott or the Cowboys will end up like the Jaguars.
