The Cowboys’ slide has called into question their offseason decisions, with Jerry Jones‘ inactivity at the center of many discussions. The longtime owner did ultimately pay his two contract-year standouts, however, but the deals for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb have preceded a 3-5 record.
This situation may well worsen soon, as Prescott’s hamstring injury is expected to sideline him. Tests have revealed the issue to be worse than initially suspected, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, who report a multi-week absence is on tap for the ninth-year quarterback. Although Prescott will seek a second opinion, Rapoport adds, at least a short-term absence should be anticipated.
Jones had said he was worried about Prescott’s availability for Dallas’ Week 10 matchup against Philadelphia, and the reigning MVP runner-up went through an MRI Monday.
Prescott damaged his hamstring on a scramble against the Falcons, per AllDLLS.com’s Clarence Hill, but visibly aggravated it during a subsequent pass attempt. It is not yet known if IR is in play, though committing to Prescott missing four games would be a risk due to Dallas’ early season struggles.
The injury moved two-stint Dak backup Cooper Rush into action, as the former UDFA replaced Prescott as he did in 2022 during the starter’s time away due to a finger injury. Rush is the Cowboys backup, but EVP Stephen Jones opened the door to some Trey Lance work (via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Nick Harris) as well. Lance joins Justin Fields, Zach Wilson and Mac Jones as 2021 first-round QB draftees in contract years as reserves. Wilson and Lance, the Nos. 2 and 3 picks that year, respectively, entered the season as third-stringers.
After it looked like Prescott would go into a contract year, the Cowboys finalized a deal hours before their Week 1 kickoff in Cleveland. Prescott’s extraordinary leverage led to a $60M-per-year extension that included the no-tag and no-trade clauses his second deal — which also came with the QB in a unique leverage position — ended up including.
This came after the Cowboys made Lamb the NFL’s second-highest-paid wide receiver. While injuries elsewhere have hurt this Cowboys edition, the Joneses have received scrutiny for not doing more to add talent elsewhere. These expenses also came months before true Micah Parsons extension negotiations are expected to begin.
Prescott, 31, has bounced back from absences before. He finalized his first Dallas extension — four years, $160M — after a season-ending ankle injury.
Dak returned and did not miss a start due to injury for the 2021 Cowboys, though he admitted this offseason that his ankle injury has continued to affect him and requires regular maintenance. Following the finger issue, Prescott returned in that October and has not missed a start since. That streak is expected to stop at 36 games, introducing more obstacles for a struggling Cowboys squad.
Last year’s second-team All-Pro passer, Prescott, sits 25th in QBR this season. The Cowboys brought down his historic cap hit this year but are tied to the former fourth-round find through at least 2027 now.
Prescott is due a $47.75M base salary in 2025, and the Cowboys will need to adjust his cap number — pushing more money into future years — due to it currently residing at $89.89M. Even the Browns’ Deshaun Watson contract/calamity does not enter that neighborhood in terms of cap hits. The Cowboys will hope Prescott bounces back, but he received tremendous security in September.
Lance receiving work would represent the most interesting component here, as he has gone from a 2022 49ers Week 1 starter to an afterthought. Sam Darnold beat out Lance to back up Brock Purdy in 2023, leading to the Cowboys giving up a fourth-round pick for the former North Dakota State star. Lance’s career quickly drifted off track, and the ankle fracture he suffered in 2022 moved him to a crossroads.
No real updates have changed that status, despite a rumor indicating Lance could leapfrog Rush for the QB2 gig. That did not end up happening. The Cowboys could certainly consider going with a higher-upside play rather than Rush, though the latter has seen extensive work in Mike McCarthy‘s offense and offers more stability.
At 3-5 and in a lame-duck year, McCarthy will lean toward stability over development. However, it would be interesting if ownership overruled him — given the HC’s contract status — on a potential play to see what Lance can contribute.
