Cowboys: Why Dak Prescott should be ‘breakthrough’ winner AND MVP

Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Dak Prescott, won best breakthrough athlete at the ESPYs last night but he should probably be considered the MVP as well.

Last season Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Dak Prescott, had arguably the best rookie season for a quarterback in NFL history. The fourth round pick out of Mississippi State tied an NFL rookie record with 13 wins (11 of which were consecutive). He did so passing for 23 touchdowns, running for six more, only throwing four interceptions, and earning a 104.9 passer rating.

Even more stunning was that he took on a leadership role with the team, all while supplanting incumbent starter, Tony Romo, along the way.

Dak Prescott’s value is as high as there is in the NFL, if you look at the big picture.

Haters will point to the Cowboys’ stacked roster and only call Dak a “bus driver” on a highly talented team.

But what those people fail to realize is what this team looked like only a season before.

In 2015 the Dallas Cowboys had bus driver quarterbacks in Kellen Moore, Brandon Weeden, and Matt Cassel. All they could accomplish was a 4-12 record, and if we’re being honest, Tony Romo won three of those games.

The roster was largely the same both seasons, yet the result was significantly different. The primary difference was the quarterback.

Before the 2016 season began, I attempted to temper expectations for Dak Prescott. Using Russell Wilson’s spectacular rookie season as the benchmark for rookie greatness, I said Dak would have to be significantly BETTER than Russell in order to make the playoffs.

Much to my shock he was indeed better than Russell Wilson. And since I’d argue Wilson was at his most valuable early in his career, I say at this moment, Prescott may just be the MOST valuable in the entire NFL.

Why MVP?

Aaron Rodgers correctly won the ESPY last night for Best NFL Player. He singlehandedly led a wildly-mediocre Packers team to the playoffs (and through the Dallas Cowboys). Matt Ryan won the NFL MVP for the 2016 season. That’s hard to argue with as well. In retrospect, Tom Brady may have been the better choice but its close and probably comes down to those two.

The Position

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But thinking long-term, it’s Dak Prescott who’s the most valuable player in the NFL. Quarterback is considered to be the most important position in all of professional sports, making it the logical pool to choose from when selecting an MVP.

The Youth

Youth is also king in applying value to players. Tom Brady may be the best QB in the NFL, but is three years of Brady more valuable than 13 years of Dak Prescott? Patriots fans would probably say “yes” but when building a franchise, nothing is more valuable than a young cornerstone signal-caller to build around.

The Money

Finally is the all-important element of “cost”. Dak Prescott is on year-two of a four-year, $2,723,393 deal he signed at this time last year. His value affords the Cowboys the opportunity to invest money elsewhere.

In other words, his low cost, at the NFL’s most expensive position, makes him even more valuable than his play alone. Additionally, he was acquired for a fourth round pick meaning the Cowboys didn’t need to use a premium pick to find him, nor do they need to keep investing high picks in the position group to cover it for the future. Older players like Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady require their teams to keep investing draft picks because their last day is coming in the not-too-distant future.

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Dak Prescott’s value is as high as there is in the NFL as long as you look at the big picture. His talent, cost, and age all make him nearly priceless. That’s why he should be considered the real MVP.

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