Is Dak Prescott a Burden on the Cowboys?
Written by Vir Rawal
1/1/23
After being drafted by the organization in 2016 Dak Prescott has remained the starting QB for the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys have improved recently and with young talent at various positions (Micah Parsons, Ceedee Lamb, Tony Pollard, etc.), questions arise surrounding the future of the team at the QB position, when considering what they need to be successful in the playoffs. In 2021 Prescott signed a contract with the cowboys for 4 years, paying him 160 million dollars.
This season with the Cowboys, Dak has played 11 games throwing for 2732 yards, 22 TDs, and 14 interceptions, while rushing for 116 yards. When comparing Dak’s season with the top QBs in the NFL, it is clear that he does not have the production of other QBs, however, it is important to note that he missed 6 games this season due to injury. However even when considering statistics based on per-game averages, he still clearly lags behind the rest of the league. Dak has a QB rating of 62.6, which is a measure of Quarterback efficiency based on each individual play rather than overall statistics throughout the game. Dak has thrown 14 interceptions this season which is tied for the league most with Derek Carr despite playing 5 fewer games.
Early in the season, Dak suffered a hand injury that ruled him out for 5 games, during this time the Cowboys started their backup Cooper Rush. In the 8 games he’s played this season, Cooper Rush threw for 1051 yards, 5 TDs, and 3 interceptions. Rush had a QB rating of 59.1 this season and led the cowboys to a 4-1 record in the games he started. Although he had a slightly lower rating, Cooper Rush was able to lead the Cowboys to a solid record and threw vastly fewer interceptions than Dak with similar stats. This raises questions about Dak’s performance this season as a backup quarterback who was able to assume his role to a very similar standard.
This season when considering Dak’s performance it is clear that he has regressed compared to previous seasons. The Cowboys 12- 4 record has been despite quarterback play rather than because of it. Dak has not lived up to the expectations this year after a crushing loss in the wild-card round in 2021. It appears that his contract is too large for the Cowboys. Based on this season’s play, it might be time for Jerry Jones to rethink his QB strategy, and decide whether to take a chance at a prospect this offseason if he wants to compete for a Superbowl.
