The Dallas Cowboys did it yet again and Dak Prescott — with the season on the line and legitimate expectations for a Super Bowl run from smart people both inside the Dallas building and media/analysts from outside — believed this 2023 squad was different.
Why?
Prescott was in the discussion for NFL MVP this season and closed out arguably the best regular season of his career. The Cowboys entered Saturday’s wildcard round matchup as two-score favorites over the Green. Bay Packers, who have a first-year starting QB and the youngest roster in the NFL.
Dak Prescott closed out the 2023 regular season ranked in the top five in several major categories for NFL QB. He came into Sunday’s playoff matchup against the Green Bay Packers with 4,516 yards (3rd), 36 touchdowns (1st), 9 interceptions and a QB rating of 72.5 (2nd).
Although some rolled there eyes when Jerry Jones and company decided to fire Kellen Moore at the end of last season — as he’s regarded as one of the up and coming young and brilliant offensive minds — head coach Mike McCarthy took over play calling and the Dallas Cowboys offense looked elite for the majority of the year.
Finally, Prescott and CeeDee Lamb found the perfect chemistry and emerged as arguably the top QB/WR tandem in the league.
Beyond Dak Prescott and the explosive offense that averaged 389 yards and 30 points per game and finished with 77 touchdowns in the regular season, the Dallas Cowboys had a defense that finished the season ranked 5th in the NFL.
Dallas Cowboys, Dak Prescott, Michal Penix Jr. Dallas Cowboys draft
After another disappointing early exit in the playoffs, the Dallas brass entered the offseason with more question marks than answers.
Initially, the expectation was Jerry Jones and company would sign Prescott to a contract extension to free up cap space and keep the core of their star players in place.
But in a recent development, reports have confirmed both Prescott and the Cowboys are going to let their franchise QB finish out his current deal, making him a free agent after 2024.
Dallas Cowboys Urged To Replace Dak Prescott With Michael Penix Jr.
With the Cowboys’ future at quarterback beyond 2024 a question mark, former general manager and current ESPN NFL analyst Mike Tannenbaum suggests that Dallas select University of Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in the 2024 NFL draft. Tannenbaum makes the comparison to when the Green Bay Packers selected Jordan Love when they still had Aaron Rodgers and the Baltimore Ravens selecting Lamar Jackson when they had Joe Flacco.
Tannenbaum discussed the scenario while appearing on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Friday, March 29.
“This is about taking advantage of an opportunity,” Tannenbaum said. “Brett Favre was in the prime of his career when Aaron Rodgers fell, and they took him. Now, the difference with Jordan Love, they gave up a fourth-round pick and moved up… Joe Flacco was in the prime of his career, Baltimore moved up [and] look how that worked out with Lamar Jackson. That’s what great organizations do. They take advantage of opportunities and all I’m saying is I think that Dak Prescott’s better, but I’m hard pressed to say that any of us think that he’s $52 million per year better than Penix.”
Penix would obviously be selected with the intention of making him Prescott’s eventual successor, possibly as soon as the 2025 season.
If the Dallas Cowboys are to make a move for Penix, it would likely have to be in the first round. Dallas currently holds the 24th overall pick in the draft while Penix is quickly moving up mock draft boards. The 23-year-old quarterback had a sensational performance at the Combine and followed that up with a strong showing at his pro day, registering a surprising 4.51 40-yard dash showing. He also had a 36.5-inch vertical jump, which would have ranked first among quarterbacks who participated at the NFL Combine.
The Heisman Tropy runner-up closed out the 2023 season with 38 total touchdowns — and if the Cowboys are truly considering letting Prescott test free agency after this season — this feels like the smart move.
