While Dak Prescott is the Dallas Cowboys’ unquestioned starting quarterback, the seven-year veteran will be feeling a new pressure when he returns to action on Sunday afternoon against the Detroit Lions, because his position is not as safe as it was at the start of the season.
Prescott’s five-week stay on the injured list is set to come to an end this weekend. When the 29-year-old went down with a thumb injury in Week 1, there were fears that when he eventually returned he would join a team that lost several games and only had an outside chance of reaching the postseason. However, Prescott comes back to a squad that is 4-2 and in the thick of the NFC East race.
While much of the credit goes to the outstanding play of the Dallas Cowboys defense, backup Cooper Rush became one of the biggest stories in the league over the last five weeks. The undrafted talent from Central Michigan overachieved and led the team to unexpected road wins over playoff contenders in the New York Giants and defending champion Los Angeles Rams. Even in his worst performance of the season last week versus the Eagles, he still made the game interesting with his second-half play against one of the best defenses in football.
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While the idea of a QB controversy hasn’t been seriously uttered in Dallas, if Prescott does not play well right away it could be. Let’s look at three reasons why the Cowboys signal caller will be feeling new pressure in his return on Sunday.
Jerry Jones’ allegiance is to winning only
While Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is always complimentary of Prescott, and no one was rooting harder for his recovery, it doesn’t mean the billionaire is completely loyal to his QB. Jones is loyal to one thing: Winning. The 80-year-old isn’t getting any younger, and he seems desperate to bring Big D another Super Bowl before his tenure as boss comes to its eventual end.
- Dak Prescott stats (2021): 4,449, 37 TD, 10 INT, 104.2 rating
If Prescott didn’t play well upon his return, Jones would be unafraid to force his head coach to make a QB switch if he thought his team was in danger of missing the playoffs. He is not an owner concerned about the psyche of his players and if it will damage their confidence. All he cares about is winning, and if a better option is waiting in the wings, Prescott should not assume his boss would automatically have his back if he struggles.
Dak Prescott’s contract weighs down Dallas Cowboys’ payroll
One major reason why Jones would be open to the idea of a Cowboys roster without Prescott is because of the massive contract he has. The QB is set to make $31 million next season, and $29 the year after that. Not obscene numbers compared to what some quarterbacks are making, but it is a sum that hampers Jones’ flexibility to improve the team.
If Jones believed he had a capable QB for cheap and could wheel and deal to improve other parts of the roster heading into next season, the Cowboys boss would not hesitate. Winning championships in the NFL is about massaging the salary cap in a certain way to have serious attempts at titles in two to three years spurts. If Jones isn’t confident they can win it all with Prescott’s contract weighing them down, he could view Rush as an alternative path to getting his team a championship sooner than later.
It doesn’t mean it’s the right move, but the Dallas owner has a long history of bold decisions based more on his gut than logic.
Cooper Rush is a serious threat
Speaking of Rush, he is a legitimate threat breathing down Prescott’s neck. If the two-time Pro Bowler plays well, then he is safe and Rush becomes an afterthought. But if he were to have a down year all of a sudden — not common for quarterbacks outside the elites — it would come at the worst time because there is another option on the team that has gone out and won games against good teams already.
This isn’t to say Rush is as good as Prescott. Of course, he isn’t but Cowboys fans and their owner will do whatever it takes to win and that irrational desperation from a fan base that has been spoiled by more winning than losing is a problem for the starting QB if they struggle.