2024 Roster Review: Starting Quarterback – Part 1 of 17. Click here to view all articles in this series.
For the most part, Dak Prescott had a solid season in 2023, especially when compared to the disaster film that was his 2022 season.
Coming into the year, Prescott needed to take better care of the football. In 2022 – despite missing five games – he led the NFL in interceptions with 15.
Worse still, he also had the most interceptions returned for a touchdown in 2022.
When the season kicked off last September, the heat was definitely on Prescott.
Prescott Stepped Up
With Kellen Moore's departure to Los Angeles – and Mike McCarthy taking over the play calling in the new “Texas Coast” scheme – Prescott got off to a good start.
He attempted 101 passes before his first interception – coming on the Cowboys' final offensive play in a Week 3 loss to Arizona.
For the entire season he would only throw nine interceptions. He would also lose just two fumbles for 11 total turnovers in 17 games.
In 2022 – in 12 games – he had 15 interceptions and lost one fumble.
For the 2023 campaign – which ended with a 12-5 record and an NFC East title – he tied his career season-high of 410 completions. His 4,516 yards and 36 touchdowns were his second best for a season.
In short, in a year in which Prescott needed to improve every aspect of his game, he did exactly that.
In the regular season.
Prescott's Achilles Heel
After leading the Cowboys to their third straight 12-5 record and a second divisional crown in three years, Prescott had one last hurdle to clear.
His dismal playoff record. In his previous seven seasons, Prescott had led Dallas to the playoffs four times.
All he had to show for it was two wins and two losses in the Wild Card round and two losses in the Divisional round. Not much of a resume enhancer in Dallas.
In those previous six postseason games, Prescott was a combined 137-for-216 with 1,559 yards passing.
He'd thrown 11 touchdown passes but he'd also tossed five interceptions. In the 2022 Divisional round loss to the 49ers he threw two interceptions.
Not only had the turnovers resulted in six points for San Francisco, one had killed a promising drive that likely would have netted a minimum of three points for Dallas
The Cowboys lost that game by seven points.
As the 2023 playoffs began with a Wild Card game against the Packers, Prescott needed to shine. He did anything but while the game was still in question.
Postseason Woes Plague Prescott
For the second-straight playoff game, Prescott threw two first-half interceptions.
This time, instead of field goals, they ended in touchdowns. One was a Pick Six that all but sealed the Cowboys' fate.
Three-quarters of Prescott's yards and all three of his touchdowns game after Green Bay held a 27-0 lead and the Cowboys were basically a beaten team.
The 48-32 loss was the largest margin of defeat for Prescott in the playoffs. It dropped his record to 2-5 in the postseason overall.
Prescott's defenders, when his postseason record is brought up, will deflect the blame to the Cowboys' defense.
Usually right before, or sometimes after, pointing out Prescott's 73-41 regular season record as proof of his being an “elite” quarterback.
I'm sorry, but you can't have it both ways. If he's the reason for the stellar regular season record then that poor playoff record gets hung around his neck too.
And it is his playoff record – and a monstrously bad contract – that has put the Cowboys in a bad position going into 2024.
The Road Ahead
Prescott will come into the 2024 season in the final year of a contract no sane GM would have signed.
The Cowboys literally have no leverage, being unable to franchise Prescott or even trade him without his approval.
The killer blow is the cap hit of $59.5 million dollars Prescott's contract calls for. Dallas is limited in what they can do to alleviate that hit.
None of the options is all that palatable.
Option 1: Take your medicine. Play Prescott at the contract number for the season, maybe moving some of it to a bonus to free up some money.
The downside is, Prescott walks after the end of the year and the Cowboys get nothing in return.
That play puts Dallas at starting Cooper Rush or Trey Lance in 2025 – unless they draft a quarterback in April and hope he turns into C.J. Stroud.
Option 2: Extend Prescott for three to four years. Some of the $59 million can be spread out over the four years, freeing up cap space.
The downside is, that makes Prescott the starter for the next four years. The Cowboys would then be betting that Prescott will finally be able to take that next step in the postseason.
Given his record so far, has he done anything to give an unbiased observer reason to believe that's possible?
Option 3: Wait until June 1st and cut Prescott. This move cuts the cap hit about in half – freeing up space to go after other free agents.
It also puts Rush, Lance or a drafted rookie at the helm in 2024. And again, Dallas gets nothing back in return.
But it also stops the Cowboys from potentially throwing good money after bad if Prescott isn't capable of taking the next step.
What's A GM To Do?
Beats me. I'm just glad I'm not the sucker in that hot seat.
The bad news is: The people who got themselves into this position are the same people who are being asked to get out of it.
I'm not feeling that confident. How about you?
As far as what Dallas actually will do remains to be seen.
If the Cowboys are going to take an “all-in” approach — in what is Head Coach Mike McCarthy's final contract year as well as Prescott's — they might be looking at Option 1.
If Dallas doesn't make it to at least a conference title game? The roster is blown up and its rebuild time with new players and coaches.
If Jones Inc. is fully convinced that Prescott can get them to the Super Bowl, its Option 2. They makes the moves to clear cap space and bring in some free agents.
Then they let fate decide if they made the right call.
The only way I see Option 3 being played is if the Cowboys are convinced they got a steal when they traded for Lance.
If they think they managed to land their quarterback of the future with that trade, then 2024 is the time to find out.
If Prescott Does Stay
If Prescott is the Cowboys' starting quarterback later this fall he will be facing enormous pressure. His regular season numbers will not save him again.
At a minimum, he must get Dallas into the playoffs. And this time he must get to the conference title game in January.
Anything less than a Super Bowl appearance will not cut it. And if he has another early playoff exit with crucial turnovers all but deciding the game?
If he thought this offseason was brutal, he won't like the fallout that follows another meltdown at all.
