On paper, the Dallas Cowboys look like they are one of the best teams in the NFC. They made some significant upgrades in the offseason, acquiring cornerback Stephon Gilmore from the Indianapolis Colts and wide receiver Brandin Cooks from the Houston Texans.
Both filled arguably their two biggest needs heading into the offseason. With those positions shored up, the team is hoping to end their drought of not advancing beyond the Divisional Round. It has been three decades since the Cowboys played for a chance to advance to the Super Bowl.
A lot of their chances of advancing that deep into the playoffs hinge on the performance of quarterback Dak Prescott. As if there weren’t enough pressure to perform in Dallas, some people believe this could be Prescott’s last chance to cement his status as the team’s franchise quarterback.
One of those people is ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. He believes 2023 could be Prescott’s last as the Cowboys’ starting quarterback if he doesn’t play at a high level. “This is it for Dak Prescott. This could very well be his last year in Dallas,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take in reference to comments Jerry Jones recently made on selecting a quarterback in the draft.
A lot of this talk about a quarterback change in Dallas pertains to Prescott’s struggles last season. Prescott was a turnover machine during the 2022 season, leading the NFL with 15 regular season interceptions despite playing in only 12 games.
In the postseason, his Jeykl and Mr. Hyde performance reared its ugly head again. In the Cowboys’ Super Wild Card Matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Prescott had an incredible performance. He threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns, completing 75.8 percent of his passes.
In the next week against the San Francisco 49ers, he completed 62.1 percent of his passes for 206 yards with one touchdown and two backbreaking interceptions. If he cannot reel in those turnover woes, the Cowboys season will quickly be derailed.
Not to mention, the Cowboys also made a move to acquire Trey Lance from the 49ers last week. If Prescott doesn’t show that he can lead this team to the success Jones envisions, Lance, the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, could be an alternative that they turn to.
