Dallas Cowboys: Without Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott will improve

Ezekiel Elliott has always been the bell cow for Dallas Cowboys offense, but if Zeke misses games, Dak Prescott will take his game to another level.

While the Dallas Cowboys front office waits patiently for Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, and Dak Prescott to respond to their pending contract offers, much talk centers around what the Cowboys will do if Zeke miss any regular season games.

Out of the three Pro Bowlers, Zeke is the least satisfied with the Cowboys’ current offer and is protesting by being a no-show in training camp. Dak and Cooper might not be satisfied with their offer from the Cowboys front office either, but at least they are in camp and improving on their instant connection from last season.

With all three juggernauts weighing their financial offers from Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones, the focus and attention has turned to Dak. The hot topic of discussion is not as much about if Dak is deserving of a huge pay (he is), but it has more to do about whether or not can Dak win without Zeke in the backfield.

And I simply believe that if Zeke does miss a significant amount of games, it will only make Dak a better quarterback and more of the experienced field general that’s loved by his teammates.

One of the reasons Dak will be better without Zeke is that for the first time in his young career, Dak has plenty of lethal offensive weapons to throw the ball to.

Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, Randall Cobb, Tavon Austin, Cedrick Wilson (the wildcard), Jason Witten, and up and comer Blake Jarwin make up the Dallas Cowboys’ receiving corps.

That core of receivers will help Dak tremendously in the passing game because all of them will have a full training camp to work with Dak on timing and making an overall connection.

Without leaning on Zeke to carry the load, Dak will be forced to win games with his instincts, running ability, leadership capabilities, and clutch play.

Related Story. History suggests Dak can win without Zeke. light

In addition, Dak has proven he can be a volume passer when needed.

Playing against the Philadelphia Eagles in December of last season, Dak completed 42 passes out of 54 for 455 yards and three touchdowns in an overtime win. Dak connected with Cooper three times for touchdowns, including the game-winning score (the second time Dak has defeated Carson Wentz in an overtime game).

Oh yeah, did I mention, Dak outplayed Wentz, too.

Further, Dak will have to lead the team in Zeke’s absence because that’s what elite quarterbacks do when times get tough and your best running back in the NFL is not available, especially when the offense runs through Zeke.

There will be times when the running game isn’t working with Alfred Morris and Tony Pollard, and Dak will be forced to throw the ball to win games. It’s really that simple.

In the process, Dak might throw more interceptions because he’ll be passing more, but the Dak will also pass for more touchdowns. It comes with the territory.

Besides, Dak is good with throwing deep ball. In 2017, Dak ranked fifth in quarterback accuracy with a 46.5 percent completion of passes of more than 20 yards.