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The 2019 Dallas Cowboys weren’t exactly the type of team that you’ll want to go back and watch several years from now. It was a season that many want to move on from as quickly as possible.
While it did take a bit for plans to initially get off the ground the Cowboys team also moved on rather quickly and already has essentially an entire new coach staff in place. Plans for 2020 are getting put together at a rapid pace and expectations are already starting to build.
If you are in the mood to look back though, the folks over at NFL.com are doing that by examining “unsung heroes” from all 32 teams last season. Obviously these are players that had performances that they believe were not properly appreciated and the listed answer for the Dallas Cowboys is one that comes with the territory of the position he plays - Dak Prescott.
DALLAS COWBOYS: Dak Prescott, quarterback. I tried to avoid listing any quarterbacks in either conference, because it’s tough to be unsung while playing the game’s highest-profile position. And when I did choose one, I really wanted it to stand out. I already covered Ryan Tannehill in the AFC half of this exercise, so let’s have a word about Dak, who is currently without a contract for 2020. It’s amazing to me that there are still people who question whether he can lead this team into the future. Let me give you the short answer: He certainly can. He damn near threw for 5,000 yards this season and had 30 touchdowns. I guess the expectations surrounding the position, and maybe some frustration over missing the playoffs, are probably fueling the Dak doubt. But let me tell you, as a fan of a Bears team that has struggled to get it right at the quarterback position for years, the Cowboys are set. So please stop questioning him.
Prescott reached career highs in just about every important individual statistical category and at times seemed like a contender for the league’s MVP award (these times ended on the team’s final drive against the Minnesota Vikings).
Prescott has finished four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys which means both that he is up for a new contract and that he is very well-familiar with the trials of playing under a microscope. Unless you are winning Super Bowls for the Cowboys, there is always going to be debate.
The article’s author, NFL Media’s Adam Rank, mentions himself as a fan of the Chicago Bears and notes that he knows what it’s like to be wandering in the quarterback wilderness and expresses this as a line of caution for Cowboys fans. This coincides with the idea that Prescott would be wanted by plenty of NFL teams if he were to truly hit the open market which is why the Cowboys need to pay him soon and that when they do the price will be quite high.
Even with the spotlight on him as a quarterback, maybe it’s worth considering that Dak might have been the unsung hero on the 2019 Cowboys. I’d personally argue that La’el Collins might be someone more deserving of the title, not to mention Robert Quinn, but there is a case to be made for Prescott being unsung in his own way.