Dallas Cowboys: 5 Budget free agents to target for 2021
By Randy Gurzi
4. Tyrod Taylor, Quarterback
First thing’s first — there should be no quarterback controversy in Dallas. Dak Prescott has more than proven he’s the starter and the fact that the team has not yet locked him up makes no sense whatsoever. Not only are they risking alienating the best player on their team, but his price tag has only skyrocketed since the first discussion about a contract began back in 2018.
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Having said all that, there could be a need for a quarterback in Dallas, even if Prescott is finally re-signed. However, that need would be as a backup to No. 4 rather than a replacement.
In 2020, that role belonged to Andy Dalton and he ended up playing much more than any of us expected. After Prescott suffered a broken ankle in Week 5, Dalton took over and was the starter the rest of the way — save for a couple of weeks when he had to battle a concussion and a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Dalton finished the season with 2,170 yards with 14 touchdowns and eight picks while going 4-5 as the starter. He also led them to a come-from-behind win over the Giants in the game Prescott was injured.
While Dalton played well, he could be on the way out especially since he was already a highly compensated reserve. In his place, Dallas could go with Tyrod Taylor — another player with plenty of starting experience who can start in a pinch.
Taylor entered 2020 as the starter for the Los Angeles Chargers but after having his lung punctured by a team doctor, he was relegated to relief duty as he watched Justin Herbert take off. Now, he enters free agency with 47 career starts under his belt and a record of 24-21-1 overall.
He’s a dual-threat who has thrown for 9,770 yards with a 54-to-20 touchdown-to-interception ratio and has added 1,850 yards with 16 touchdowns in his career as well. Adding Taylor would be great insurance if Prescott isn’t ready to go at 100 percent after his ankle injury or if he were to miss any more time for another injury.