The Dallas Cowboys have their eyes on a new quarterback, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Dak Prescott is on his way out in Big D.
As team vice president and owner Jerry Jones‘ son Stephen Jones told the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys are eyeing quarterbacks to develop behind Prescott, who has suffered two significant injuries over the last two seasons.
‘You know, I think one of our goals is to get a young quarterback in the draft,’ Stephen said, as quoted by the Dallas Morning News. ‘I don’t know where that’s going to be.’
Cooper Rush and Trey Lance both stepped in for an injured Prescott in 2024 without much success. The Cowboys acquired Lance a year earlier for a fourth-round pick hoping he could develop behind Prescott, but the former first-round pick completed only 25 of 41 passes in limited action last season.
And as Stephen Jones explained, quarterbacks – even project quarterbacks who aren’t counted to start right away – tend to go higher in the draft than expected.
‘That’s why we gave a [fourth-round pick] for Trey,’ Stephen said. ‘It seems like all the quarterbacks, even guys we have in the fourth round, go in the first. They always go so much higher than what you think.’
Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys looks on before the game against the Carolina Panthers
Although Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders are both expected to be among the first 20 players picked, a number of other quarterbacks such as Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard and Syracuse’s Kyle McCord could still offer some depth behind Prescott in later rounds.
Prescott signed a four-year, $240 million contract extension in September and will earn a base salary of $47 million in 2025. Unfortunately, he played just eight games for the 7-10 Cowboys in 2024 before sustaining a season-ending hamstring injury.
Next season he’ll be playing under a new coach, former Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, who replaces the departed Mike McCarthy.
‘Super excited for him,’ Prescott told reporters of Schottenheimer at a recent Children’s Cancer Fund’s gala.
Schottenheimer is the 51-year-old son of the late Marty Schottenheimer, who won AP Coach of the Year with the San Diego Chargers in 2004. He previously served as the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Redskins.
Brian, meanwhile, is best remembered for his years as the Jets offensive coordinator.
‘Obviously, I’ve worked with him the last couple of years, understanding the type of man he is, the way that he approaches the game,’ Prescott said. ‘I think the best way to exemplify that is he is the son of a legendary coach. He’s not going to take anything about this game lightly. He enjoys the work in it, kind of old-fashioned.’
