The Dallas Cowboys have positioned themselves in this upcoming draft to take the best player available at pick number 26.
The acquisitions of Stephon Gilmore and Brandin Cooks have been unanimous crowd pleasers. Re-signing Dante Fowler, Johnathan Hankins, Leighton Vander Esch and Donovan Wilson addressed some notable holes on the defensive side of the ball.
So, when will fans get their answers to the tough questions?
I’ve read the mock drafts that include drafting the tight end position, an interior offensive lineman or even various pass rushers but what about the quarterback position in the first round?
If someone like Florida Quarterback Anthony Richardson or Kentucky’s Will Levis falls in the draft, should the Dallas Cowboys consider taking either with the 26th pick?
Dak Prescott is a solid quarterback, but shouldn’t Dallas at least entertain the thought of a quarterback if that’s the best player on their board?
Other teams have so what’s stopping Dallas?
The 2004 San Diego Chargers
In the 2004 NFL Draft, there were 17 quarterbacks selected that year. The then-San Diego Chargers, led by Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer, was a team on the rise in 2004.
As I look back at that team, there were a lot of similarities between them and the Dallas Cowboys.
They were a 12-4 team with a coach of the year recipient, but they had the stench of underachieving reeking all over them.
Coach Schottenheimer had reservations about drafting a quarterback but after being ousted by the Jets in the playoffs, the ownership had a different opinion.
Drew Brees was their 25-year-old incumbent quarterback when the Chargers decided to use a premium draft pick in a trade for Philip Rivers from the Giants. They had their running back (LaDainian Tomlinson), a talented receiver core and an opportunistic defense.
Brees didn’t know it at the time, but the deal worked out better for him albeit in New Orleans.
For San Diego, they didn’t ultimately get what they wanted which was the Super Bowl.
Give them credit, they were still not afraid of taking a chance on a quarterback they believed could get them there. Both quarterbacks will find themselves in Canton, Ohio one day.
The 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers
I know, I know. Someone is going to tell me that I’m way off-base on this one. Give me a moment and let me work through this one.
The Pittsburg Steelers, in 2004, were well on their way to drafting a guard prospect to protect Tommy Maddox. Yes, it was the same draft with the aforementioned, Philip Rivers.
Bill Cowher had an affinity for the quarterback and thought he had a good enough roster to win with Maddox at the helm.
Let the record reflect, I’m in no way, shape or form comparing Dak Prescott to Tommy Maddox.
That wouldn’t be fair to Dak.
However, what I will argue is that the Steelers could have rested on their laurels and took the easier road with drafting the rumored Shawn Andrews and rolled with the veteran.
With the 11th pick in the 2004 draft, Dan Rooney pulled his weight and went with their future at the position, and it worked out rather well for the Pittsburg Steelers.
Rather than being thankful that they had a competent quarterback who could steer the bus, they knew the sky would be the limit if they were able to obtain a quarterback who could steer the bus early in his career but carry the load later in his prime.
The Pittsburg Steelers, during Ben Roethlisberger’s tenure, capitalized on his rookie deal and even obtained a second Super Bowl during his tenure.
Yes, it’s different than the Dallas Cowboys in places, but there are still some uncanny resemblances as to how they led to this pick.
Dallas has an owner who claims he likes to take chances. I think he is slowly but surely losing that reputation.
2005 Green Bay Packers
Dallas Cowboys fans won’t necessarily like to include Aaron Rodgers on this list, but unfortunately, he’ll be in the group on a couple of occasions.
The Green Bay Packers were proactive in their handling of the most important position in football.
Brett Favre was getting closer and closer to the end of his career, and their management team knew it was only a matter of time before injuries, age, and bloated salaries became a recipe for disaster.
Packers fans could have argued that their team was a player or two away from getting deeper into the playoffs, but they would have been on the wrong side of that one.
Ted Thompson was following in the shadow of legendary GM Ron Wolf, but he had the courage of his convictions and made the pick that turned out to be the right one.
For Dallas, the similarity would be the draft pick position.
The Cowboys will pick at number 26 and in 2005 Green Bay picked at number 24.
Maybe everything doesn’t line up like it did for Green Bay but maybe it does. What if Will Levis falls to pick 26?
Just like Green Bay didn’t want to continue paying Brett Favre top dollar for average results the Dallas Cowboys could have the same mindset.
Take the quarterback with five years of contract control and give Dak the final season of his contract to make it or break it.
It’s a tough business but these are the tough decisions you must make as an executive.
2020 Green Bay Packers
I warned you that we would be talking about Mr. Rodgers a bit more than one would like but the situations are staring us in the face. With the 26th pick in the 2020 draft, the Green Bay Packers selected Jordan Love from Utah State.
This is somewhat of a wild card since no one really knows what Love will bring to the table.
The one thing we do know is that this kid has the tools that were at least worth a later pick in the first round.
He had to sit behind Rodgers for three seasons, however, there are still two seasons plus a possible franchise tag season where the Green Bay Packers can determine what they have in Jordan Love.
Maybe he bombs out and amounts to absolutely nothing. That’s a fair possibility.
But what happens if he turns out to be 60 to 70 percent of what Aaron Rodgers was?
Would that be worth the opportunity cost of not drafting another lineman or receiver?
In my humble opinion, absolutely.
Considering Rodgers’ salary is more than $50 million, the Packers should be able to give Love every opportunity to succeed at least from the standpoint of surrounding him with talent.
Could the Dallas Cowboys potentially do the same if a quarterback falls to them?
Yes, they could.
The team would eventually have a cheaper rookie deal like what the Packers are paying now and adding more to this talented defense wouldn’t be as much of a pain point.
So, what will the Dallas Cowboys ultimately do?
The reality is a lot of dominoes would need to fall in place for any of this mayhem to happen.
First, a top-tier quarterback would need to make it to the back end of the first round. It wouldn’t be the first time that has happened (Lamar Jackson — 2018) so it’s not completely out of the question.
Secondly, the Dallas Cowboys would have to show the fortitude to make the pick.
If Dallas really has the roster they claim to have, picking the quarterback at this spot should be a no-brainer if the opportunity is there.
