Coming off back-to-back 12-win seasons, there’s no doubt the Dallas Cowboys have one of the better rosters in football. It’s a team that seemingly always underperforms when the playoffs begin, but could the team be preparing to place the blame on Dak Prescott? Why else would the Cowboys reportedly be “intrigued” with C.J. Stroud, one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft class?
While every NFL team evaluates quarterbacks every year (yes, that includes the Kansas City Chiefs), the fact that the Cowboys are sniffing around one of the players who many expect to be a top-10 or even top-five pick is downright fascinating.
While Prescott has come a long way since entering the NFL out of Mississippi State as a fourth-round pick in 2016, is he the QB who can help the Cowboys end their 27-year Super Bowl drought? It’s likely a question on the minds of Jerry Jones, Mike McCarthy, and other members of the Cowboys organization.
Still, many don’t expect the Cowboys to be anywhere close to hitting the reset button roughly two years after signing the Pro Bowl QB to a four-year, $160 million contract. At least not this offseason. That’s why Sports Illustrated‘s Mike Fischer’s report that the Cowboys are “absolutely intrigued” by the Ohio State QB, who many would consider being pro-ready to be so alarming.
- Dak Prescott stats in 2022: 66.2% completion rate, 2,860 passing yards, 23 TD, 15 INT
No matter where you stand on Prescott, whether you think he’s a top-10 QB or one that still has plenty to prove he’s the franchise solution, this rumor is interesting. But is it realistic? We know team owner Jerry Jones loves to swing big, but this would be a Texas-sized leap up the draft board. Is it feasible?
Related: 2023 NFL Draft rumors: Latest news, buzz on top draft prospects
Dallas Cowboys may not have the trade ammo needed to add C.J. Stroud
As is, the Cowboys hold the 26th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. This is far from where Stroud is expected to be picked. Unless the former Buckeyes QB experiences an Aaron Rodgers-like freefall down the draft board, Stroud will be long-gone by the time the Cowboys are on the clock.
It’s not like the Cowboys have a boatload of valuable picks to offer either, should they try a desperate dash up the draft board. They do have a total of nine picks, with two extra compensatory selections in the fifth round, but these are of limited value.
The Cowboys could always sweeten the offer by including next year’s first-round pick, and even another one in 2025. But it’s hard to imagine a team who was so bad to earn a top-five pick being more intrigued with a trade package that doesn’t have them adding a player to their roster until 25 others have come off the board.
OK, so the Cowboys don’t have a lot of draft capital, but being this rumor is for a quarterback, wouldn’t that make Prescott expendable? Yes and no. While Stroud is likely to be a day-one starter, the Cowboys can’t just include Prescott in a package that also features their first-round pick. This is thanks to the debilitating cap penalties they would immediately suffer for trading his contract.
- Dak Prescott’s contract: $49 million cap hit in 2023, Cowboys would incur $58M penalty if traded ($39M if traded in 2024)
For a Cowboys team that currently is set to enter the offseason with roughly negative eight million to spend, how are they going to squeeze 49 more million out of their budget?
All of this is to say, yes, the Cowboys may find themselves falling in love with Stroud’s skill set, but it shouldn’t be a newsflash to realize that several other NFL teams are reaching the same conclusion.
Ultimately, the Cowboys don’t have the ammo needed to jump into the top five, and including players like Ezekiel Elliott won’t add much value either, as he’s a running back with plenty of wear and tear on his knees. This pipe dream is dead.
Related: Ezekiel Elliott will only return to Dallas Cowboys in 2023 on one condition