The Cowboys don’t have much talent at wide receiver, but Troy Aikman believes Dak Prescott deserves more blame for the passing game’s struggles.
Dak Prescott isn’t the biggest weakness of the Cowboys offense, but Troy Aikman believes the signal caller deserves his share of the blame. In particular, Aikman believes Prescott has to be more accurate with the football to get this passing game on track.
The Hall of Fame quarterback makes no secret of his belief that accuracy is the most important trait a signal caller can have. To that end, he doesn’t seen enough of it from Prescott. Aikman says he’s seen too many “errant throws” from Prescott this season.
When you watch Prescott on film it’s hard to argue with that assessment. He hasn’t looked like the franchise quarterback he appeared to be just a couple of seasons ago. Fortunately, he still has the support of his owner and general manager Jerry Jones. He still firmly believes that Prescott is a quarterback the Cowboys can “build with.”
Frankly, there’s no real way to know whether Aikman or Jones is right given Dallas’ current roster. The receivers that Prescott have to work with are well below the standard of average NFL wideouts. At best, they are a below-average unit. At worst, they might be the least talented group of receivers in the entire league.
The brilliance of running back Ezekiel Elliott is keeping the offense afloat for the time being, but that’s not a valid long-term strategy for the franchise. If the Cowboys really want to know what they have in Prescott, they have to give him some weapons to utilize in the passing game. For those wondering, Tavon Austin certainly does not qualify.
The team’s aging offensive line is only going to complicate the team’s roster construction moving forward. No one really knows if Travis Frederick will ever be the same at center. The jury is still out on Connor Williams at guard. Neither La’el Collins or Tyron Smith look as good as they once did. It’s very possible the Cowboys will need to fill holes at receiver and offensive line this offseason. That’s going to be a real challenge for Jones and the rest of the front office.
The bottom line for the Cowboys this season is they don’t have enough offensive talent to properly evaluate Prescott. It’s impossible to say whether his inaccuracy is due to his own deficiencies as a quarterback or the inability of his wideouts to get open. Until Dallas gets some weapons at wide receiver, Prescott’s status will remain a mystery.