Cowboys 'Should Change' QB's from Dak Prescott, Says ESPN's Dan Orlovsky - 'If'
Not many players divide opinion quite like Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. After back-to-back losses to the San Francisco 49ers in which Dak wasn't at his best, the knives were out.
After an offseason that has seen the Dallas front office do some fine work, including trading for Brandin Cooks to give Dak another offensive weapon, there is now pressure on Prescott to take this team to a Super Bowl.
But is this season make-or-break for Dak? NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky thinks so.
"First of all, yes, it's a make-or-break season for Dak Prescott absolutely for what's gone on the past couple years, one being injury, the other, performance," Orlovsky said on ESPN's GetUp.
"For context, there's six or seven quarterbacks in the NFL that aren't really dependent on what's around them, coach, play calling and help-wise to their performance level. Then there's a group of eight or 10 guys that are. Dak Prescott is in that second group, eight to ten guys that need help to play at the highest level."
Orlovsky isn't exactly wrong, Dak is a quarterback who needs pieces around him, but there's nothing wrong with that.
With head coach Mike McCarthy's West Coast offense aimed at simplifying things for the quarterback, many expect Prescott to be a better version of the interception-leading player from last season.
Let's remember Prescott has only had one losing season in his career (2020 at 2-3 after his nasty ankle injury), so he isn't exactly a bad quarterback. But for Orlovsky, it isn't what Dak does in the regular season that puts the heat on him; it's what he doesn't do when the lights are at their brightest.
"This is a little dependent on if he gets a contract extension, obviously, but let's put into context why this is a make-or-break season for Dak Prescott," Orlovsky said. "The last two times he's played the 49ers in the playoffs, he's had 21 drives, three touchdowns, three giveaways. He's got to play better versus the best teams when it matters the most; that's why it's make-or-break.
"The expectation should be for them to be an NFC championship contender, if they don't (do so) because of the quarterback's performance, the quarterback should change."
The offseason has been a good one for Dallas as free agency has proved very fruitful, and with the NFL Draft coming, the Cowboys could give Dak more weapons as the hunt for that elusive Lombardi Trophy continues.
"Make-or-break''? If Prescott soon gets a massive contract extension, there will be no "break.'' But with each move that gives Dak help, the pressure increases for him to do something with that help.
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