While many changes are expected to take place in the Dallas Cowboys organization pretty soon, one thing seems to be clear. Dak Prescott will remain the starting quarterback for years to come, despite having yet to sign any kind of extension. Whether he's franchise tagged before next season or signed to a long-term contract, he isn't going anywhere.
Through almost four seasons in the NFL, Prescott has proven he's a good quarterback. He's far from an elite player, but that's not something bad at all. Sure, every team in the league would love to have an elite signal-caller but you can be a serious contender without one.
Dak has a lot of areas to improve on, but he's shown fans around the league that he has the arm talent, leadership skills and poise to have success. However, there's one talent he hasn't exploited in his professional career.
As we've watched the Baltimore Ravens take the league by storm with QB Lamar Jackson, I can't stop wondering about Prescott's skills as a runner. Jackson has been unbelievable running the ball as well as passing it in a season in which he has positioned himself as a top MVP candidate. Many have compared him to the likes of Michael Vick, but Jackson seems different… better.
You see, the Ravens as an organization have bought in to let him run the ball. In a league that's widely scared of watching quarterbacks tuck it and run it, Johh Harbaugh's team has shown confidence in Jackson's body.
The game of football is often compared to a long, long chess match between offenses and defenses as they try to evolve to beat each other out. I've always been intrigued about the future of the NFL and what's the next “big thing.”
With college football filled with dual-threat quarterbacks, I'm a firm believer that soon that will be the main style of quarterbacks we'll be watching on Sunday. A guy who can keep defenses on check by running the ball is a huge advantage from a strategic standpoint. But the fear of having your star QB injured is a reasonable one.
The Ravens fear not, though, and it's paying off. .
I'd love to watch the Cowboys bet on Dak Prescott's legs to exploit his talent even more. Now, I'm not saying he'll be as effective as Jackson has been this season, but Dak has had success as a dual-threat guy since he was at Mississippi State.
In his short NFL career, Prescott has thrown on the run accurately. He's put on a few extremely impressive plays when scrambling. He has a strong body and has never been seriously injured in his career. But we don't see him run that often, let alone on designed run plays.
The Cowboys coaching staff is not known for being aggressive, but I wonder if that'll change when the team brings in someone new. Prescott is pretty good, but perhaps he could be even better if the Cowboys let him be a dual-threat QB.
