Cowboys owner Jerry Jones used his Tuesday radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas to make one thing very clear: "Dak (Prescott) is our quarterback."
Jones called it "crazy" that people are speculating that Dallas could take a QB in the 2021 NFL Draft. Since Prescott's season-ending ankle injury in Week 5, the Cowboys have relied on a combination of Andy Dalton, Ben DiNucci and Garrett Gilbert at quarterback, and Prescott's lack of a long-term extension has been noted when people speculate on the Cowboys' future draft intentions.
At 2-7 and currently owning the draft's No. 3 selection if the season ended today, Dallas is trending toward a position to take one of the draft's best QBs not named Trevor Lawrence, but Jones insists that's not the plan.
"Don't get me wrong, if we earn it, I'll take it," Jones said of a high draft pick. "... You ask me if it's crazy (to take a quarterback) and I'm answering you, yes. We're playing games here, guys. It's not the thing to be talking about at all. You know, Dak is our quarterback."
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Prescott was on pace to shatter the NFL's single-season passing yardage record before suffering a compound fracture to his right ankle against the Giants. He's signed to the franchise tag in 2020, earning him about $31 million, and he's eligible to be a free agent in the offseason. Dallas would likely make an effort to either sign Prescott to a long-term deal or franchise tag him once again.
The 2021 NFL Draft is believed to have a number of strong candidates for first-round selection at quarterback beyond Clemson's Lawrence. Justin Fields (Ohio State), Trey Lance (North Dakota State), Mac Jones (Alabama), Kyle Trask (Florida) and Zach Wilson (BYU) have all made it into mock drafts across the internet in recent weeks.
The Cowboys have already signed a number of their big-name players to extensions, including Ezekiel Elliott, Jaylon Smith, La'el Collins, DeMarcus Lawrence and Amari Cooper. On paper, that makes it difficult to give Prescott the extension dollars he might be seeking, which would likely at the very least make him the second-highest paid QB in the NFL behind Patrick Mahomes.
Jones also confirmed on his radio segment that Dalton would return to starting for Dallas after the Cowboys' Week 10 bye. Dallas takes on the Vikings in Week 11, and after one week out with a concussion and one week on the COVID-19/reserve list, Dalton is expected to be healthy and ready to go.