It’s time for Cowboys to move on from Dak Prescott
The Dallas Cowboys have not been a threat in the playoffs since Dak Prescott took over the starting job in 2016, so it’s time for them to move on. I usually would not advocate for a team moving on from an efficient franchise quarterback, but it’s clear that with the Cowboys, the issue falls primarily on Dak.
It’s a unique situation all around, as the Cowboys are a worldwide brand and have one of the most vocal owners in all of professional sports. The success the team had in the 1990s helped propel them into one of the most successful and storied franchises in the NFL.
Legendary, Hall of Fame players like Michael Irvin, Troy Aikman, and Emmitt Smith echo through the franchise to this day. Even now, the team has trotted out some legendary players recently like Travis Frederick, Zach Martin, Tyron Smith, and even Ezekiel Elliott for a few years.
The Cowboys, currently, have a very good roster. They also have a Super Bowl-winning head coach in Mike McCarthy and two very good coordinators in Kellen Moore and Dan Quinn. On paper, this is a championship-caliber team.
There are few teams who can rival Dallas with their combination of coaching and roster talent. However, this season proved one thing, and that would be Dak Prescott being the centerpiece if the issues with the team. He threw two more interceptions in the divisional round and has not been able to put multiple consistent performances together during the 2022 season.
He had 10 games during the regular season with at least one interception. His rating was the lowest it’s been since 2017 when he threw 13 interceptions during the regular season.
This situation could be a lot like what Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders are going through. The Raiders seem to realize that they aren’t getting to where they want to be with Carr, so a trade will likely be facilitated.
Dallas could take the same approach with Prescott, albeit much quicker than Las Vegas did. Perhaps trying to trade Prescott could give them a solid enough return to take a chance with another quarterback.
Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo are both free agents at the end of the year, and both have had better success in the playoffs than Prescott has. Would the Cowboys be better off trading Prescott, getting a few draft picks for him, reloading what is needed on offense, and signing Brady or Garoppolo in free agency? Perhaps.