The Dallas Cowboys were rolling again in the 2023 regular season with Dak Prescott — but yet again, with the season on the line and legitimate expectations for a Super Bowl run — Dak an the Cowboys lost when it mattered the most.
Last year truly felt different.
Prescott was in the discussion for NFL MVP this season and closed out arguably the best regular season of his career.
Dak Prescott closed out the 2023 regular season ranked in the top five in several major categories for NFL QB. He entered the playoff matchup against the Green Bay Packers with 4,516 yards (3rd), 36 touchdowns (1st), 9 interceptions and a QB rating of 72.5 (2nd).
Although some rolled there eyes when Jerry Jones and company decided to fire Kellen Moore at the end of last season — as he’s regarded as one of the up and coming young and brilliant offensive minds — head coach Mike McCarthy took over play calling and the Dallas Cowboys offense looked elite for the majority of the year.
Finally, Prescott and CeeDee Lamb found the perfect chemistry and emerged as arguably the top QB/WR tandem in the league.
Beyond Dak Prescott and the explosive offense that averaged 389 yards and 30 points per game and finished with 77 touchdowns in the regular season, the Dallas Cowboys had a defense that finished the season ranked 5th in the NFL.
After another disappointing early exit in the playoffs, the Dallas brass entered the offseason with more question marks than answers.
Initially, the expectation was Jerry Jones and company would sign Prescott to a contract extension to free up cap space and keep the core of their star players in place.
Now with no deal in place and both sides going public with a “mutual understanding” they will let Prescott play out the final year of his contract, truly anything is possible.
While it’s likely the Cowboys ride with Prescott for at least one final season, it’s safe to say the franchise is exploring future options if their franchise QB decides to walk after 2024.
Dallas Cowboys Predicted To Land Tulane QB Michael Pratt
CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso put together a seven-round mock draft and the Cowboys are predicted to select Tulane University’s Michael Pratt with the 87th overall pick in the third round.
Pratt is a 22-year-old who spent all four years with the Green Wave, having a highly prolific career as a dual-threat quarterback. The 6-foot-3 quarterback threw for 27 touchdown passes in addition to 10 rushing touchdowns during the 2022 season alone. During his collegiate career, Pratt racked up 90 touchdown passes to go along with 28 rushing touchdowns.
While Pratt isn’t an overly fast quarterback — he chose not to run the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine — he can finish runs, as evidenced by his knack for getting into the end zone through rushing the football.
As Bleacher Report’s Derrik Klassen describes in his scouting report of Pratt, he is an “aggressive passer” who has the ability to finish off runs as a red zone threat or short-yardage runner.
“That mentality extends to Pratt’s risk tolerance,” writes Klassen. “He is an aggressive passer. Pratt always looks for angles to throw down the field if the pre-snap look from the defense allows for it. Pratt is a somewhat functional athlete as well. He isn’t quick or fast, but there is a degree of power and balance to Pratt’s game that serves him well as a designed runner in short-yardage situations or in the red zone.”
While the Dallas Cowboys remain adamant that they plan on re-signing Prescott, the fact that he’s still without a contract extension leaves the door open that this could be his final season in Dallas. When you factor in that the Cowboys have yet to advance past the divisional round during Prescott’s eight years as starter, it may be time to move in a different direction.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter actually recently labeled the Cowboys as a “sleeper” team to draft a quarterback.
If the Cowboys don’t want to create a quarterback controversy — while also adding an insurance plan for Prescott — they could select a passer like Pratt with a mid-round pick, rather than going for a Michael Penix Jr. or Bo Nix in the first round.