The Dallas Cowboys are doing Dallas Cowboys things again, this time connected to rumors surrounding NFL Draft top prospect C.J. Stroud. What will Dak Prescott think?
Dak Prescott’s ego can only take so many blows. First, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones claimed he was smitten with Heisman Trophy finalist Max Duggan after Duggan’s impressive Senior Bowl showing.
Now, the Cowboys are doubling back and throwing their hat in the ring for a much higher reviewed quarterback prospect in Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Mike Fisher, sources say that Dallas is ‘absolutely intrigued’ by Stroud, creating more of a mess at the quarterback position and putting Prescott on high alert.
Prescott has two years remaining on his deal and could be due for a contract extension that would make him the Cowboys’ franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future.
Such an extension would, however, require placing utmost faith and trust in Prescott, and based on the reports coming out of Dallas’ camp, the Cowboys appear distracted by the many shiny new toys in April’s upcoming NFL Draft.
Cowboys: Dak Prescott takes a backseat to yet another top NFL Draft QB prospect
Prescott’s seventh campaign in Dallas saw him throw a league and career-high 15 interceptions, including two in the NFC Championship loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Even if Jerry Jones silently doesn’t see Dak as the future of the franchise, landing Stroud, one of the top two quarterback prospects in this year’s draft, is a tall order. Dallas has the No. 26 pick in the first round, and only Alabama’s Bryce Young ranks ahead of Stroud per most NFL pundits.
Assuming at least one team takes Young within the top-five, there’s no way that Stroud will fall all the way down to 26th.
Dallas would probably have to trade up to nab him, and that will inflame the fanbase even more: the Cowboys have a solid starter in Prescott, so rather than give up valuable draft capital to get a young and developmental prospect like Stroud they could rebuild at key areas like the wide receiver unit or the offensive line.
All this pre-draft talk falls under the category of smoke and mirrors, and it’s impossible to tell what the Cowboys are actually going to do come late April. Dak is probably feeling….just a lot of feelings right now. We don’t blame him.