If Jerry Jones is looking for leverage with Dak Prescott, Andy Dalton isn't the answer
No one is afraid of Andy Dalton — except for, maybe, the offensive coordinator that has to coach him. Dalton doesn’t really strike fear into his competition on the field on Sundays, especially not on playoff Sundays when Dalton is 0-4. And Dalton won’t cause any anxieties for Dak Prescott or his agent as they negotiate a contract extension with the Dallas Cowboys.
Dalton isn’t going to compete for Prescott’s job. This signing is a signal that Dalton’s career as a starter is basically over — he’s on the short track to work as a journeyman backup for the coming years. Maybe he’ll put together a few short stretches here and there, because he’s a capable but limited starter. But his talent doesn’t parallel Prescott, who took a tremendous step forward in 2020. The Cowboys just have to pay their franchise quarterback, and Dalton should barely impact that process.
Dalton’s work in Dallas is far more likely to end in the way of Blake Bortles’ work with the L.A. Rams. Bortles signed with L.A. last season to serve as Jared Goff’s backup in hopes of getting a restart on his career, but Bortles remains a free agent this offseason. It’s hard to see Dalton doing a Nick Foles impersonation and rejuvenating his career with the Cowboys like Foles did with the Eagles on the way to a win in Super Bowl 53. If anything, Dalton’s decision to sign with Dallas — a place where he so clearly doesn’t have a path to playing time — is a sign of desperation. He just needs work.
Prescott can continue to be patient while he awaits a respectable offer from the Cowboys. If Jerry Jones thought he could used Dalton as a form of leverage against Prescott, the young quarterback should encourage Jones to see how many postseason games he can win with Dalton. Prescott might be happy to hit the open market next offseason, where he’d make absurd sums of money. That scenario wouldn’t end well for Jones — and everyone knows it.
Hopefully, Jones isn’t posturing with this Dalton signing. Hopefully, the Cowboys owner and GM simply added Dalton because Dallas needed a quality backup. That’s what they’re getting. That’s all they’re getting.
