Why the Dallas Cowboys should draft another quarterback

The Dallas Cowboys should strongly consider drafting another quarterback at the 2017 NFL Draft even with the success of Dak Prescott.

The Dallas Cowboys head into the 2017 NFL regular season with Dak Prescott and Kellen Moore as their only two quarterbacks on the roster. Prescott has proven himself to be a superstar in the making and a very capable NFL quarterback. While Moore may be your average to below average backup quarterback.

So the thought of drafting another quarterback seems like a waste considering the other areas of need on the Cowboys roster, especially on the defensive side of the ball. With all signs pointing towards stacking up the defense with young talent; how would Dallas justify drafting yet another a quarterback?

Let’s start with the most successful team in the NFL since 2000, the New England Patriots, and compared them to the Cowboys.

Quarterback Tom Brady was selected in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. And only two years later, Brady led the Patriots to a Super Bowl victory. But the most interesting fact about the Patriots since they found Brady is the fact they’ve drafted eight different quarterbacks since.

Now, compare that draft strategy to that of the Cowboys. Since Dallas drafted Troy Aikman in 1989, the Cowboys have only drafted four quarterbacks in 28 years! Those players being Prescott, Stephen McGee, Quincy Carter, and Bill Musgrave. (Not including Steve Walsh in the supplemental draft)

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Given the success of head coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots, it would be safe to assume they have a solid draft strategy. Although New England already has Brady, arguably the NFL’s best quarterback, they still draft quarterbacks. That strategy pays off during emergencies.

For example, during the 2008 season when former USC quarterback and 2005 seventh round pick Matt Cassell led the Pats to an 11-5 record after a knee injury in the first game of the season sidelined Brady the entire year.

The Cowboys haven’t had the luxury of having this kind of preparedness in decades; usually signing veteran quarterbacks at minimum salaries for the back-up role. This changed when they drafted Prescott last year late in the fourth round.

Year after year the Cowboys depended on the health of veteran quarterback Tony Romo without any real investment in a back-up plan. The 2010 (6-10) and the 2015 seasons (4-12) are prime examples, since both years Romo went down with broken clavicle injuries. Yet in 2016, with some planning and a little luck, the Cowboys were prepared for once.

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There are definitely needs on defense but the Dallas Cowboys could find a great quarterback in later rounds of the draft, where defensive starters are less likely to be available. With the big event only weeks away, hopefully the Cowboys will not only use the strategy of the defending Super Bowl champions, but their own from last year.

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