Cowboys Need More from Dak Prescott Whether Jones Family Admits It or Not

There may not be a higher-profile gig in all the NFL than the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. Over seven seasons, that gig has transformed Dak Prescott from a Day 3 pick to a soup-shilling superstar. In 2021, Prescott inked a four-year contract extension that included a whopping $126 million in guarantees.

However, the bright lights and big money comes at a price—Texas-sized expectations. When you are the quarterback of the Cowboys, you are expected to be Troy Aikman. You are expected to be Roger Staubach. You are expected to win the Super Bowl.

For all that Prescott has accomplished in his career (including helping lead 12-win seasons and playoff berths each of the past two years), he hasn't come close to fulfilling that ultimate goal. Prescott is 2-4 in the postseason and has yet to lead Dallas past the divisional round.

That makes the 2023 campaign something of a make-or-break season for Prescott. Because while the 29-year-old may have recently received a vote of confidence from team ownership, patience is wearing thin among some in the fanbase. There have even been rumors that Dallas could covet one of the top signal-callers in this year's draft.

Prescott needs to up his game in 2023 and turn in one of the best seasons of his career. Maybe the best. Otherwise, the 2024 offseason could bring changes in Dallas that are every bit as big as those expectations.

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That vote of confidence came from executive vice president Stephen Jones, who told reporters at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine that he has every confidence that Prescott can lead the Cowboys to their first championship in almost three decades.

"I've got all the faith in the world we can win this thing with Dak," Jones said. "... We know what he's about. His leadership skills are undeniable. Impeccable work ethic. Other than he hadn't won some key playoff games, he's everything you want in a quarterback. From the day he walked in the door, he's won a lot of games. We just got to get over the hump."

Head coach Mike McCarthy offered a similar endorsement of Prescott while addressing the media at the end of the season.

"Dak's been through some things this year and last year as far as injury," McCarthy said. "His ability to come back from injury was outstanding. His resilience is exactly what you're hoping for. I don't think there's a man more respected in that locker room. I think when you take a step back and take the emotion out of how our season ended, there's an incredible amount of productivity. ... Dak did some great things.''

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On some level, it's not hard to see where Jones and McCarthy are coming from. Even if you don't believe that Prescott is an elite quarterback, you would be hard-pressed to pick out a quarterback not named Brady who has out-played his draft slot more than Prescott.

He has produced a pair of seasons with at least 4,400 passing yards, an equal number of years with 30 touchdown passes, two Pro Bowl trips and an Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. In 97 career starts, Prescott is 25 games over .500.

However, Prescott's most recent season was most assuredly not his best. That hand injury McCarthy referenced cost him five games, and once he returned, Prescott struggled badly with turnovers. In just 12 games, Prescott tied for the league lead with 15 interceptions. It was the first time in NFL history that a player tied for the league lead in picks despite missing at least five games.

Prescott went on to throw two more interceptions in a divisional round loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and after that outing, Prescott acknowledged to reporters that he cannot turn the ball over in big games.

"Those are throws you can't have, not in the playoffs," Prescott said. "Not when you're playing a team like that [and] on the road. No excuses for it. Those are 100 percent on me."

Apparently, Prescott wants to add Hotels.com to his endorsements—because that's a spot-on Captain Obvious impression.

Prescott's struggles led to a major change in Dallas. After four years as the team's offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore was let go, and while Brian Schottenheimer was brought in as his replacement, it will be McCarthy who makes the offensive play calls in 2023.

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Jones told reporters that he believes McCarthy's West Coast passing concepts will make Dallas that much more dangerous offensively.

"Obviously, he's the head coach of this football team, and he made a compelling argument that making him the play-caller was going to help us," Jones said. "... He's had a lot of success as a play-caller. And he's observed for three years. I think he's been a super leader in that aspect in terms of having the respect for Kellen and the offensive group working with Dak, that that was the better way of doing it. I think he believes now, although they believe in a lot of things the same, there's that 15-20 percent that they don't. And I think that Mike just thinks that they'll do more with the way he wants to do it [and] that we'll be a better offensive football team."

Perhaps that will be the case. In theory, more West Coast concepts should mean getting the ball out quicker. Provided that Prescott delivers an accurate ball, not waiting so long for receivers to work their way open down the field should mean fewer picks.

But at the end of the day, Prescott's decision-making will still be vitally important. And there was recently an inkling that maybe, just maybe, some in the Cowboys organization aren't sure he'll be up to the task.

Per longtime Cowboys beat writer Mike Fisher of Cowboys Country, a source in the organization told him the organization is "intrigued" by Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud.

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"I don't know the 'how,''' the source said. "But [Dallas is] absolutely intrigued by Stroud.''

To be clear, the odds of Stroud winding up in Dallas are infinitesimally small. Finding a trade partner for Prescott probably wouldn't be hard. But it would take most of what the team gained in that deal to move up in the draft far enough to get Stroud. And even then, a Dallas team perpetually in "win now" mode would be hitting the reset button at the game's most important position.

Maybe it's an attempt at motivating Prescott. Or a negotiating tactic for an extension for Prescott that already looms over the team…again. What it ain't is it happening.

Here's what is going to happen. Prescott and the Cowboys will restructure his deal and convert some (or most) of his $31 million base salary in 2023 to bonuses to clear cap space. That, some more financial shenanigans and the 2023 draft should allow the Cowboys an opportunity to add some receiving talent around CeeDee Lamb, retain running back Tony Pollard and/or tight end Dalton Schultz, and, ultimately, put Prescott in a position to succeed.

At that point, it's up to him. It will be up to Prescott to look more like the quarterback who threw for 4,449 yards with 37 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions with a passer rating of 104.2 in 2021 and less like the guy who couldn't get out of his own way over the second half of the 2022 campaign.

It will be up to Prescott to do what he hasn't done to date in his career—lead his team on a deep playoff run.

Because that is what is expected when you are the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.

And if he can't do it, his days of holding that job may be numbered after all.