The Dallas Cowboys did it yet again and Dak Prescott — with the season on the line and legitimate expectations for a Super Bowl run from smart people both inside the Dallas building and media/analysts from outside — believed this 2023 squad was different.
Prescott finished what was likely his finest regular season ever and was considered for NFL MVP this year. The Cowboys were two-score favorites against the Green Bay Packers, who boast the youngest roster in the NFL and a first-year starting quarterback, going into their wildcard round game on Saturday. At the end of the 2023 NFL regular season, Dak Prescott was ranked among the top five quarterbacks in a number of significant categories. Prior to facing the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in the playoffs, he had accumulated 4,516 yards (3rd), 36 touchdowns (1st), 9 interceptions, and a QB rating of 72.5 (2nd).
Despite the fact that Kellen Moore was one of the young, talented offensive minds of the future, many people rolled their eyes when Jerry Jones and company decided to fire him at the end of the previous season, play calling was taken over by head coach Mike McCarthy, and the Dallas Cowboys offense looked outstanding for the most of the season.
Finally, Prescott and CeeDee Lamb found the perfect chemistry and emerged as arguably the top QB/WR tandem in the league.
Beyond Dak Prescott and the explosive offense that averaged 389 yards and 30 points per game and finished with 77 touchdowns in the regular season, the Dallas Cowboys had a defense that finished the season ranked 5th in the NFL.
After another disappointing early exit in the playoffs, the Dallas brass entered the offseason with more question marks than answers.
Initially, the expectation was Jerry Jones and company would sign Prescott to a contract extension to free up cap space and keep the core of their star players in place.
However, recent sources have indicated that Prescott will be allowed to play out the remainder of his contract with the Cowboys, meaning he will become a free agency after 2024 unless an agreement can be reached between the two parties before the end of the 2024 season.
The regular season is still four months away, however, so there’s plenty of time for Jones to ink a long-term deal with CeeDee Lamb and possibly make another move or two to add to a roster that lost a few key pieces from last year’s (12-5) team.
With the 2024 NFL Draft now behind us, Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine recently examined potential trade and cut possibilities in Big D. Ballentine argued that Dallas should let go of dependable backup Cooper Rush, who has replaced an injured Prescott in five of six career starts:
Unfortunately for him, Trey Lance was made available on the trade market, and the Cowboys took advantage of it. They gave up the former No. 3 overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a 2024 fourth-round selection. Cooper Rush and (Trey) Lance were ultimately kept on the active roster. It is now easier for NFL clubs to hold onto developing quarterbacks due to a new rule that allows them to carry a third backup quarterback without using up a 53-man roster slot. However, the Cowboys can clear the cap and save $2.3 million by releasing or selling Rush. It simply doesn’t make sense to pass up that kind of cap savings, especially because Lance has only been with the Cowboys for a year, given how tight their budget is right now.
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