Is Dak Prescott about to turn a corner in his development?
By Carl Daley
The Dallas Cowboys offense will miss Ezekiel Elliott if he is not on the field, however, sophomore quarterback, Dak Prescott should be able to lead the team.
The Dallas Cowboys are heading into the 2017 regular season with a ton of questions. One of the things they have solved that caused a bit of drama last season is the question of who will be their franchise quarterback. Now the biggest question of the season heading into 2017 is easily who will lead this offense with a looming suspension for running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Cowboys second-year quarterback Dak Prescott was absolutely incredible in his first season with the team. He did things at the quarterback position that only Tom Brady had achieved, and now he looks poised to build off his success.
Dak has been terrific this offseason as he continues to sharpen his game and that is important considering how much the team may need him to be at his best this year. Currently, the Cowboys have a pretty brutal schedule, and this should provide a significant test for the second year player.
His legacy in Big D is constantly being built, brick by brick, and with the potential suspension of star running back, Ezekiel Elliott, Prescott may need to be the biggest offensive threat.
He is the leader of the Cowboys passing offense and with Zeke off the field (potentially) he could explode for major production. Dak has been working not only on his accuracy which was astounding, he has been working with his receiving corps and the chemistry from last season has seemingly only gotten stronger.
The addition of rookie wide receiver Ryan Switzer should only add to Dak’s effectiveness as he is essentially a Cole Beasley clone. Switzer will not only help in the passing game but should be a productive top tier returner on an NFL level.
Another year with top wide receiver Dez Bryant and locker room leader Jason Witten will help this young offense reach a brand new level. Another player who has stood out tremendously this offseason has been wide receiver Brice Butler who has been incredibly productive during the team’s preseason matchups.
Butler looks like a new player and it appears he is in sync with Prescott as well often being targeted deep down the field. The former Oakland Raider should be the Cowboys main deep threat this season.
Let’s also not forget about Dak’s athleticism and awareness as a ball carrier. In short yardage situations, the team could look to Prescott to move the chains especially if Zeke is not on the field. Now while I know the Cowboys want to put Prescott in any danger, he had a knack for picking up key first downs with his feet and that is pretty hard to teach.
The Cowboys offensive will never utilize Dak like the Carolina Panthers did with Cam Newton but they could keep their opponents guessing by running read/option plays along with new wrinkles into this offense.
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If you think about it one of the ways to stop this Cowboys team was to take away Zeke, now things are a bit more muddled. If he is off the field, the Cowboys offense will look very different from what it typically is, and that could have a profound impact on the way opponents decide to play them.