2017 was a season that left the Dallas Cowboys with a ton of questions to think about. Dez Bryant’s contract, Sean Lee and Tyron Smith’s availability, and the future of DeMarcus Lawrence and David Irving are some of those questions.
But there’s another more pressing question for the Cowboys. How can they get the most out of Quarterback Dak Prescott and avoid another struggling year for him?
Also, what if he has another rough year? At what point does quarterback become a position that needs to be evaluated if he continues to struggle?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that will be the case. In fact, I have a lot of faith in Dak. I think he’s shown a lot to be excited about and I definitely believe there’s a “quarterback curve” in the NFL. Hopefully, #4 finds a way to get back on track in 2018.
A reason to be optimistic about Prescott’s future is an impressive stat from NFL Next Gen Stats. Turns out, Dak Prescott ranked first in the NFL in “tight window throws” completion percentage with 45.8%.
According to Matt Harmon from NFL.com, a “tight window throw” is defined as a pass in which the intended receiver has less than a yard of separation from the defender.
Dak Prescott is far from a perfect quarterback and he’s constantly bashed about his throwing accuracy. Just recently, he took part in a passing competition with David Carr before the NFL Honors and well… it’s fair to say Carr completely beat him.
David Carr 6, Dak Prescott 1 pic.twitter.com/rV532Q3Cob
— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) 6 de febrero de 2018
Cowboys Twitter was anything but forgiving for the young quarterback, but at the end of the day, I’m not sure a casual passing competition at an event like that one is the way you judge an NFL starting quarterback who has a 22-10 record in his career.
Dak has a long way to go before being considered an excellent quarterback in the league, but a bad season like 2017 doesn’t mean it’s the end of his career and that the Dallas Cowboys should start Cooper Rush over him.
It’s not the first quarterback who struggles one year and he won’t be the last one to bounce back from one. As of right now, Dak Prescott rightfully is the Dallas Cowboys QB1. Hopefully he has a better year next season.