Dallas Cowboys

Plenty of Cowboys fans want to move on from Dak Prescott — but who would replace him?

The Cowboys offense is in trouble.

Head coach Jason Garrett, quarterback Dak Prescott and even running back Ezekiel Elliott have held themselves accountable for the unit’s failures during the team’s 20-13 loss to the Seahawks in Seattle on Sunday.

Even before that contest was over, Cowboys fans all over the country were clamoring for owner Jerry Jones to bring back Dez Bryant and to trade whatever it takes to bring Seahawks safety Earl Thomas to Dallas.

There’s even a fan petition that is requesting signatures for the removal of Garrett and Prescott from a team that now sits at 1-2.

Prescott currently has the 56th lowest cap hit ($725,848) of any quarterback in the NFL, per Spotrac. But he only has one more year left on his rookie deal after this season. Assuming the decline in his play doesn’t take a permanently negative turn, he’s going to get paid.

This past offseason, the San Francisco 49ers made Jimmy Garoppolo the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. This season, the former Patriot has the highest cap hit in the league ($37 million) at the quarterback position.

Prescott had an outstanding rookie season in 2016.

Yes, his play last season and three games into this current one is costing him significant dollars. But his next contract (assuming he’s offered one) will, due to the value of retaining a quality quarterback in the NFL., likely carry a cap hit that will start somewhere around $20 million.

It’s highly unlikely that the two other quarterbacks on the Cowboys’ roster, Cooper Rush or the presently injured Mike White, will be a better alternative now or in the future.

The top of 2019 of free agent quarterbacking crop, which includes the Tyrod Taylor of the Browns, Brett Hundley of the Packers and maybe Teddy Bridgewater (if the Saints don’t re-sign him this offseason), doesn’t really offer attractive Prescott replacements, either.

So what does the 2019 NFL Draft look like? Most draft experts agree it’s not a particularly strong class for quarterbacks and a surprising number of NFL teams are relatively set at the position.

Both of those factors could work in the 1-2 Cowboys’ favor.

And at this rate, Dallas could end up drafting in the 10-19 range.

Here are the three collegiate passers that the majority of analysts believe will come off the board in the first round.

Justin Herbert, Oregon, 6-foot-6, 225 pounds

The pro-typical pocket passer is coming off of a strong performance, despite his previously 20th ranked team blowing a big lead against No. 7 Stanford this weekend. As of now, Herbert is the leading contender to be the top quarterback taken and is unlikely to fall out of the top 10.

The Cowboys would have to finish the season at the bottom of the league or surrender a bounty of picks to trade up and get him.

Jarrett Stidham, Auburn, 6-foot-2, 210 pounds

The former Stephenville, Texas, native and former Baylor Bear doesn’t jump off the page from a physical standpoint. And his numbers at Auburn aren’t exactly eye-popping.

But he does play against rigorous SEC defensive backfields almost every week and could fall to the 10-20 range in the draft.

Drew Lock, Missouri, 6-foot-3, 226 pounds

He’s got a strong arm, moves pretty well, and seems to elevate the talent around him. Lock also set the SEC single regular-season record for touchdown passes in 2017 with 43.

However, despite Lock’s completion percentages, scouts worry about his accuracy. The good news for the Cowboys is that he might be available from the middle part of the first round.

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