Since 2016, the Dallas Cowboys, one of the most popular and storied franchises in the NFL, have called quarterback Dak Prescott their signal-caller. Prescott entered the league in 2016, but with a back injury to Tony Romo in the preseason, the rookie from Mississippi State quickly became the team’s leader on offense. The six-foot-two, 230-pound gunslinger threw for 3,667 yards and 23 touchdowns against four picks, winning AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and earning MVP votes.
Prescott never returned the job to Romo, earning three Pro Bowl honors and leading the Cowboys to the postseason five times in eight tries. Despite being a fourth-round selection, Prescott, the league leader in touchdown passes in 2023, has become one of the most consistent passers in the league, resulting in ownership ready to ink him to a massive contract. However, owner Jerry Jones talked to the media on Tuesday, saying they must “diminish” his offensive assets to stay in Dallas long-term. Cowboys fans took exception to Jones’ comments, specifically when he said Prescott has had a “strong supporting cast since 2016.”
Dallas Cowboys Fans: Frustrated with Jerry Jones
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Vice President Stephen Jones, and head coach Mike McCarthy spoke to the media during the team’s annual pre-draft news conference. Despite a lack of talent acquisition, Jones had many head-scratching worthy moments, including praising the team’s offseason. However, Jones stirred up the Cowboys faithful when he called every supporting cast for quarterback Dak Prescott since 2016 “strong.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said QB Dak Prescott has enjoyed a strong supporting cast in Dallas since 2016. Because of cap situation, “we’re going to have to diminish that. That’s a fact.” https://t.co/5Mlp2rEcW2 pic.twitter.com/MeRAZVhZiQ
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) April 23, 2024
“We’re going to have to diminish that (supporting cast). That’s a fact… We want Dak Prescott. That’s that. The improvement demonstrated (last season) that there’s more. We want Dak. We think there is room for growth. Dak, quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, I wouldn’t even blink on that.”
Cowboys fans immediately took to Twitter (also known as X) to call out Jones for never surrounding Prescott with elite talent despite his fourth-round draft status and the compensation that comes with it.
I've seen Dak go crazy with Noah Brown at WR2 can't possibly make it any worse than that 😂 https://t.co/wtdXUmCfhg
— MartinTalkCowboys (@DAK_4_MVP) April 23, 2024
Dennis Houston was his WR2 to start the year literally 2 seasons ago
— mpf (@demcowboysfan) April 23, 2024
This is such poor leadership. https://t.co/6pIp6L6gce
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) April 23, 2024
Dak has been forced to make up for these dudes for so long.
They aren’t even hiding it. They’re bragging about it. https://t.co/rYZHe2dc80
— Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) April 23, 2024
This was *checks notes* two years ago btw https://t.co/Q8jsJHTbwh pic.twitter.com/3wLkCI9b5H
— Andrew Robertson (@asrobertson12) April 23, 2024
In a league where teams are doing everything they can to surround their starting QB with the tools to be successful
Dak Prescott has Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys front office https://t.co/NGAEeqRIoW
— J ⌚️ (@JERRUHWORLD) April 23, 2024
allen hurns/deonte thompson/cole beasley wr core in 2018 btw https://t.co/yBeNPNDB70
— nick (@TaxAssets) April 23, 2024
Dallas Cowboys: Wide Receiver Troubles Throughout the Years
Prescott, who started every season of his NFL career, played on a four-year, $2.7 million contract from 2016 to 2019. After being franchise-tagged in 2020, the gunslinger inked a four-year, $160 million deal in 2021. However, the Dallas Cowboys never used their excess money to surround Prescott with an exorbitant amount of high-end talent, especially in the early years.
Wideout Dez Bryant, slot receiver Cole Beasley, and tight end Jason Witten, all in their twilight years, operated as his top options during his first two seasons until the Cowboys traded for Amari Cooper for the 2018 campaign. However, Cowboys fans became frustrated with the team’s inability to add an elite second receiver from 2018 to 2019. Dallas added star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb via the draft in 2020. Cooper, Prescott, and Lamb shined the following year, yet the organization traded Cooper to the Cleveland Browns in the offseason. Noah Brown and Michael Gallup played behind Lamb in 2022 before the team added an aging Brandin Cooks in 2023.
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