If all goes according to plan, Dak Prescott will return as the Dallas Cowboys’ starting quarterback when the 2025 NFL season kicks off. Prescott will be returning from a torn Achilles tendon, which is a serious injury.
This means the Cowboys, who recently lost Cooper Rush to the Baltimore Ravens, will likely want to find another highly capable backup quarterback who can step in at a moment’s notice. Some even believe the Cowboys could accomplish this early on during the 2025 NFL Draft.
Related: NFL Power Rankings 2025: Where do the Dallas Cowboys rank before the 2025 NFL Draft?
Dallas Cowboys could target a QB early in 2025 NFL Draft
If the Dallas Cowboys do select a quarterback, it probably won’t be with the 12th overall pick in the first round. Yet, based on NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport‘s latest report, selecting a quarterback later on in the first round could be a possibility.
“How high do they go? Because if you’re going to wait until the fifth or sixth or seventh round, you don’t know what kind of backup quarterback you’re getting. And honestly, by then, they may all be gone. This at least, to me, means the Cowboys are considering taking one (a quarterback) if not Thursday, maybe on Friday.”
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Dallas Cowboys
Prescott will still be just 32 when the season kicks off, so he’d appear to have several seasons of high-level play left in his right arm. He’s also under contract through the 2028 season, although at a rate of $60 million per year.
Yet, after also losing Trey Lance to free agency, the Cowboys could simply be seeking another high-potential replacement for the most valuable position in the sport.
The Cowboys also have the 44th overall pick in the NFL Draft, which could be used to either trade back into the latter half of the first round to secure a fifth-year contract option. With 10 draft selections, the Cowboys have plenty of ammo, so it’s not unreasonable to think one could be used on a quarterback.
Related: 2025 NFL mock draft: Who should the Cowboys draft in the first round?
