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Should the Dallas Cowboys extend Dak Prescott?

By Carl Daley

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 29: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys runs for a first down against Marshon Lattimore #23 of the New Orleans Saints in the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium on November 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 29: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys runs for a first down against Marshon Lattimore #23 of the New Orleans Saints in the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium on November 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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The Dallas Cowboys will have to make a decision on Dak Prescott very soon. Should they extend their young quarterback or cut him loose?

The Dallas Cowboys are giving the impression that a contract extension seems likely for Dak Prescott. Whether or not this is a good decision is solely based off of the price tag he will cost. The Cowboys will have some big name players to make decisions on over the next two years and you could argue that Prescott is the least important of the bunch.

Now I know, come off of the team’s biggest win of the season this may seem like a bit of a letdown. But, it is a necessary conversation that needs to be had. Dak Prescott had two very costly fumbles against the Saints that could have basically doomed the Cowboys down the stretch.

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This comes from Prescott’s sudden lack of awareness in the pocket. Injuries to the offensive line have something to do with this but Prescott does not get off that easily. If not for Jourdan Lewis’s timely interception (his first of the season) the Cowboys could have fallen behind the Washington Redskins in the NFC East race.

This is symptomatic of something bigger for Prescott as he currently has 10 fumbles on the season. That number is insanely high even for a mobile quarterback. If Dak could throw for 300/400 yards and multiple touchdowns this would not be nearly such an issue, but he doesn’t.

The one wrinkle Prescott has that most do not is his ability to run the football effectively in the red zone. The amount of yards he gains off of quarterback runs is a plus also, not many players can do that. But those traits have limitations.

Dak will not be running the football forever and that alone will not get him into the hall of fame. He needs to get better as a pocket passer and realistically needs to get better at several traits as a passer in general.

Number one, sensing pressure. Dak not only gets hit way too frequently but he has lost the ability to sense when pressure is coming. On both of his fumbles against the Saints, Dak looked eerily calm before getting slammed to the turf.

It seemed as if he had no idea a defender was about to light him up and that is a problem. Number two, accuracy. Dak had Michael Gallup for a 55-yard touchdown down the sideline, and he absolutely whiffed on it.

The ball had no touch and fell outside of Gallup’s grasp. To be fair, Dak had some pretty nice throws in this contest but this one he obviously would want to have back. The main issue with Dak is that will his production match his monetary cost?

If he is given a $100 million contract, then the answer is simply no. He is not Joe Flacco and Joe Flacco is barely worth his contract. The deep ball eludes Dak on a regular basis, his accuracy is limited so paying him as the top quarterback in the league is laughable at best. There is an argument to pay Dak for the player that he is.

A three-year extension would be the best option for all parties as any long-term deals could cause both parties to separate earlier than expected. A $100 million dollar contract for a player failing to reach that level of production only spells divorce for both parties.

A three year $45-56 million extension would be fair given the ceiling that the Dallas Cowboys feel like he may have. If he begins to light it up, throws for multiple touchdowns and over 250 yards per game then give him a long-term extension, make him a Cowboy “for life”. But until he begins doing that pay the people who give the team success.

Next. Should the Dallas Mavericks pursue Draymond Green?. dark

Pay Ezekiel Elliott, pay DeMarcus Lawrence, pay Byron Jones, pay Amari Cooper but make sure to pay those guys before you pay Dak Prescott.

  • Published on 12/01/2018 at 03:41 AM
  • Last updated at 12/01/2018 at 03:41 AM
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