With the future of Dak Prescott up in the air beyond this season, there is speculation that the Dallas Cowboys could look to invest in a quarterback in the NFL draft. Here are five reasons why the Cowboys should not draft a quarterback in Detroit later this month.
Four Reasons the Cowboys Should Not Draft A Quarterback
Bigger Needs to Fill
Due to the Cowboys’ lack of activity in free agency, they now find themselves responsible for filling multiple holes on both sides of the ball. With the departures of Tyron Smith, Tyler Biadasz, Michael Gallup, Dorance Armstrong, Tony Pollard, and others, the Cowboys will have big shoes to fill in the starting lineup. Right. It is essential for the Cowboys to address these needs and focus on the immediate future which is the 2024 season. With CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons, and Daron Bland all up for extensions soon, the Cowboys are in win-now mode and these needs will play a big role in shaping their position in a tough NFC East division.
Good Depth at the QB position
As it stands, the Cowboys currently have three quarterbacks on the roster in Prescott, Trey Lance, and Cooper Rush. Despite a rough end to the season, Dak Prescott played the best football in his career in 2023. Prescott threw for 36 touchdowns en route to an All-Pro nod and second-place MVP finish. Beyond Prescott, the Cowboys certainly have talent at the quarterback position. The team invested heavily in Lance by trading a fourth-round pick for him last season despite him not suiting up for any action. As far as cap numbers go, Lance currently has the tenth-highest cap hit on the team according to Spotrac (Prescott has the highest with just over $55 million). Rush has shown that he is a quality backup that can step up in big situations, as evidenced by his 5-1 record over the course of four seasons of action. With three quarterbacks on the roster, barring a trade, the Cowboys have plenty of options ahead of the 2024 season.
Cap Space
As previously mentioned, the Cowboys have plenty of needs to fill throughout the rest of the offseason. They will have to do so with limited money to spend as they are just over $6 million over the cap. This money will increase with post-June 1st cuts, but it will still be a tight budget. Investing in four quarterbacks (Prescott, Rush, Lance, and a potential draft pick) could prove to be costly for the Cowboys. While Lance or Rush would be the odd man out in the event of a new quarterback, they would have to pay part of the guaranteed money of their contract. It is vital for the team to spend this money wisely and put it towards positions and players of need that can contribute right away in 2024.
Unnecessary Distraction
There is already a lot of drama in Big D heading into the 2024 season. You have a coach in the last year of his contract, and four All-Pros with uncertain futures in Prescott, Lamb, Parsons, and Bland. The pressure for this team to compete at a high level has never been higher, with the Super Bowl drought now standing at 27 seasons. While QB competition is not necessarily a bad thing, in this case, it would just add more drama in the locker room. With the three aforementioned quarterbacks locked in for the 2024 season, the Cowboys have no reason to shake things up and throw a wrench in the quarterback room this season.
With the NFL Draft just two weeks away, the Cowboys have seven picks including the 24th overall selection in the first round. Time will tell if they choose to bring a new quarterback to the fold and shake things up ahead of a season that is already setting up to be a roller coaster ride.
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