The Dallas Cowboys appear to have a bright future ahead of them, thanks to the likes of their young quarterback Dak Prescott. As a fourth-round pick out of Mississippi State last year, not much was expected out of the young passer, but desperate need prompted his early graduation into the starting role. And he didn’t disappoint.
Leading the Cowboys to a 13-3 record and winning the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award in the process, Prescott showed the league he’s capable of big things.
But according to the man himself, last year was just the tip of the iceberg, and he said the playoff loss really drives him.
“In Year One we just scratched the surface,” Prescott said, per Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. “We’re just getting started. I know we’ve been hitting these [offseason] workouts, and we’re just excited for what we can be as a team.”
Prescott wasn’t the only dynamic youngster the ‘Boys featured. Fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliott led the league in rushing and showed dynamic abilities as a receiver, too. These two second-year stars already have the eyes of the nation on them, leading all merchandise sales from the past year.
In addition to their exploits, the Cowboys have locked up veteran tight end Jason Witten for likely the rest of his career with an extension. They also added fourth-round pick Ryan Switzer, who everyone is excited about. Along with the emergence of Cole Beasley as Prescott’s go-to guy, the big-play abilities of Dez Bryant and the team’s dominant offensive line, Dallas features as formidable an offense as any team in the league.
Hopefully the Cowboys will get Jaylon Smith in the lineup this year to bolster the front seven. A highly touted prospect out of Notre Dame, he’s been fighting back from nerve damage suffered in a brutal knee injury during his final game with the Irish. Throw in the addition of cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis, acquired in the draft, and the defense might be better in 2017 than it was last year.
So there’s a lot of reasons to have high hopes. It’s going to be fascinating to see if this team can live up to what will be extremely high expectations.