Cowboys’ Dak Prescott has played his way into the dreaded franchise tag
Hope Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is lying and that his shoulder was killing him. The alternative is ugly.
Dak valiantly denied that his performance against the Philadelphia Eagles was as a result of a sore throwing shoulder, which means he’s not a top tier NFL quarterback.
His performance in the Dallas Cowboys’ 17-9 loss against the Eagles should rank as one of the worst of his career.
If Sunday was Dak Prescott at full health ....
The Cowboys needed Dak to be good on Sunday, but instead he tossed one of the biggest stinkers of his four-year career.
When the Dallas Cowboys radio color analyst politely points out the obvious, which is not flattering about the starting quarterback, the point leaves a mark.
Dak bet on himself to be great this season. Instead he has played his way off the Monster Contract on-ramp and instead into the dreaded franchise tag.
Against Philly, he was 25-of-44 for 265 yards and was sacked twice. The Cowboys are 1-6 when he attempts 40 or more passes.
They didn’t need him to be great, just good. While he didn’t throw an interception, it was the plays he missed that led to the Cowboys’ inability to create any room for running back Ezekiel Elliott, or make any substantial yardage throughout.
Dak was victimized by a few drops against the Eagles. Amari Cooper had an awful day. Jason Witten dropped a pass, and Michael Gallup dropped a deep ball on the potential game-tying drive.
Drops have been a problem for this team all year, and that still doesn’t explain everything.
Even Dak’s 41-yard pass completion to Gallup early in the second quarter was a “miss.” Gallup beat his defender and was in position for a long gain, but Dak’s pass forced him to wait which allowed the defender to make the tackle.
In the fourth quarter with four minutes remaining, Dak missed a wide open Tavon Austin on a deep route that would have been a touchdown had the ball not been badly overthrown.
It was never Scott Linehan
When the Cowboys changed offensive coordinators in the off-season from Scott Linehan to Kellen Moore, the hope was the new play-caller and QB coach Jon Kitna would extract even more out of Dak.
Linehan was never the problem. And Moore is not a savior/savant.
Dak is a 4,000-yard passer, and there have been instances when he has been great. He’s also the quarterback of a team that can only finish 8-8, and that will have one win against a team with a winning record.
This is not a question of his toughness, makeup, work ethic, professionalism, leadership or character. All of those are plus. Spend five minutes with him and you will be a Dak fan.
This is a question of accuracy and decision making. This a question of whether this is what his ceiling looks like or if he can evolve into a superior version of himself.
The Cowboys have negotiated with Dak on a new contract, but there is a gap. Sunday makes that gap wider.
Don’t be stunned if the Cowboys use their franchise tag on Dak next season. This means Dak would be paid the average of the top five salaries at quarterback. We’re talking over $25 million, but this is not the record-setting deal his agent seeks.
The tag forces Dak to bet on himself again.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wants it to work with Dak, as does every member of the Cowboys.
Games like the past month don’t help.
Hope Dak is lying, and that his performance on Sunday in Philly is because of a bum shoulder.
The alternative is awful.
This story was originally published December 23, 2019 at 12:00 AM.
