Since entering the National Football League, Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Dak Prescott has been one of the most interesting players in the game. He took the league by storm in 2016 when he shared a spectacular rookie season with Running Back Ezekiel Elliott. He became the face of America's Team after long time QB Tony Romo suffered yet another serious injury that would end up putting an unfortunate end to his playing career. Since then, just as any Cowboys QB, he has become one of the most discussed athletes in sports.
Some fans believe Dak is the guy, some think he shouldn't even get paid by the front office. However you may feel about the starter for the most talked about organization in football, Prescott has a huge year ahead of him. His fourth year should be an important sneak peek into what lies ahead for the 26-year old signal caller. With the right coaching, he might shock the football world.
Many believed Dak would be extended by now, but with the season opener just days away, who knows if he'll even be extended in 2019 or if he'll play out his rookie deal and try to drive up his price tag with a strong fourth year.
Dak Prescott has led the Cowboys to two NFC East titles during his first three years in Dallas. He has a 32-16 record, one playoff win, leads the NFL in both fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives, and owns one of the highest passer ratings in the NFL (fifth among active quarterbacks).
Do these stats tell the whole story? Of course not. No number does. However, when you have such stats over three seasons, it definitely should be worth something. The kid has been doing something right, whether or not he has a strong supporting group.
Even still, Prescott has a lot to improve on. Among other issues, Dak tends to hold the ball for too long, takes too many sacks and sometimes fails to go through his progressions well. He's good, but very far from being anything close to an elite QB.
I'm going to be honest here and say that I truly believe Dak Prescott can be the guy to return the Cowboys to glory. I dare say we'll see a huge year from his part in 2019. The main reason why is coaching.
Last season led to the firing of Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan, whose offense didn't prove to be enough to let the Cowboys take “the next step.” When considering the team didn't lack talent, if the Cowboys want a huge change on their attack, it will have to be the result of Kellen Moore's performance in his first year as a coordinator.
We've seen very positive reviews from his work all offseason and preseason long, and it should have a huge impact on how Prescott fares in 2019. After all, there's not a huge scheme change. Rather, what we're expecting are some necessary tweaks needed to “modernize” the offense, such as pre-snap motion, different launching points for a mobile QB like Prescott, among other things.
If Moore manages to take on a more “aggressive” approach, the Cowboys will improve greatly. Going back to the fourth quarter comebacks stat, we should note the fact that Dallas goes into the fourth quarter trailing often times. Is this because the team wasn't aggressive until it had to? I honestly think that was the case many times. Under Moore, I expect that to change and in today's passing league, it'd be very nice to see Prescott lead a pass-happier unit.
Besides Moore, QB Coach Jon Kitna will allow Prescott to really improve at basic things such as footwork, which was noticeably better this preseason. Little things can make big differences, and Dak has surely fleshed out a handful of little things that will take his game to the next level under Kitna's tutelage.
Dak Prescott has an opportunity to cement himself as a true franchise quarterback with the Dallas Cowboys in 2019. His play through three seasons has been solid, but what hopefully will be improved coaching can catapult him to a career year. Don't be surprised if, after the upcoming season, many Prescott doubters are left speechless and we start having the “Dak needs Zeke” conversation. It's time for Dak to prove his worth.
