Cowboys’ Dak Prescott doesn’t feel like he has to ‘be Superman,’ but here’s why he might be forced to

FRISCO, Texas — When the Dallas Cowboys re-signed three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Dak Prescott to a four-year, $240 million contract extension hours before the start of the 2024 season that made him the NFL’s highest-paid player ($60 million average per year salary), expectations were large.

Prescott is coming off of a 2023 in which he earned 2023 Second-Team All-Pro honors after becoming the first Cowboys quarterback to lead the NFL outright in touchdown passes with 36. Now, he has to do even more with No. 2 wide receiver Brandin Cooks (knee), three-time All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons (high ankle sprain) and four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence (Lisfranc, mid-foot sprain) all sidelined for Dallas’ “Sunday Night Football” showdown at the 3-1 Pittsburgh Steelers.

The 2023 Second-Team All-Pro quarterback hasn’t picked up where he left in 2023 in terms of his top-five standing among the rest of his peers, but plenty of the reason for that can be attributed to his wilting offensive ecosystem. 

Dak Prescott last two seasons, NFL ranks

Completion Pct

69.5% (2nd)

64.6% (23rd)

Pass Yards4,516 (3rd)
1,072 (5th)

Pass Yards/Att

7.7 (6th)

7.6 (19th)

Pass TD

36 (1st)

6 (T-6th)

TD-INT

36-9 (2nd)

6-2 (11th)

Passer Rating

105.9 (2nd) 

93.6 (16th)

Expected Points Added/Play0.18 (2nd)-0.04 (19th)

Dallas’ 2024 offense has taken a massive step backward in its creativity. Head coach Mike McCarthy’s offense went from using motion at a slightly above league average rate in 2023 (49.2% of offensive plays, 15th in the NFL) to ranking near the bottom of the league in motion usage this season (40.5%, 27th in the NFL). The Cowboys utilized play-action on 27.7% of Prescott’s dropbacks a year ago, the highest rate of his career in a season that was the most efficient (105.9 passer rating) of his now-nine-year career.

This season, the Cowboys have used play-action on 19% of Prescott’s dropbacks, the lowest rate of his entire…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/cowboys-dak-prescott-doesnt-feel-like-he-has-to-be-superman-but-heres-why-he-might-be-forced-to/

Author : Garrett Podell

Publish date : 2024-10-04 13:52:32

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