The Dallas Cowboys pipped the Eagles for the NFC East title last season after Philadelphia crumbled late, losing 5 out of 6 of their remaining games. However, Philly isn’t planning to repeat the trend, and nor do they have an excuse to do so after a host of signings they made this offseason, leaving them with a far better squad than their divisional rivals.
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During a recent episode of ‘The Colin Cowherd Podcast’, the host and John Middlekauf argued that Philly should capitalize on Dallas’ draft mistakes and easily walk away with the division title. They asserted that Jerry Jones deliberately didn’t give Dak Prescott some more offensive weapons because he is in his contract year. As a result, it’s only fair to assume that his numbers will see a marked decline from last season’s MVP-caliber performance. Though the Cowboys are still a good team, the difference in talent between them and Philadelphia is day and night.
The Eagles have strengthened their squad in every area possible, and with the Giants struggling and the Commanders in rebuilding mode, they should easily walk away this time, with at least 3-4 more wins under their belt than the Cowboys.
While the Cowboys have drafted some good young players in the draft, however, most of their signings have been in Offensive Line or Defensive Line with only a solitary receiver taken in the 6th round. They failed to address the position of the Running Back after bidding Tony Pollard farewell. Though they have signed plenty of undrafted free agents, their roster is still miles behind the Birds.
On the other hand, the Eagles have dominated both free agency and the draft this offseason. Moreover, they gave AJ Brown, Devonta Smith, Jordan Mailata, Jake Elliott, and a few more lucrative contract extensions, as per Spotrac. The franchise also signed Saquon Barkley, C.J. Gardner Johnson, Bryce Huff, Kenny Pickett, and Mekhi Becton in free agency. Furthermore, offensive and defensive firepower has been brought in through the draft; two of the best CBs—Quiniyon Mitchell and Cooper De Jean—were drafted in the first two rounds.
DE Jalyx Hunt, drafted in the 3rd round, will play alongside Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham. While they have Barkley, who will get the most carries, they drafted RB Will Shipley in the 4th round. The club also has the best receiver duo in the NFL, but it didn’t stop them from adding depth to that receiving core by drafting Ainias Smith and Johnny Wilson. Notably, Jason Kelce’s retirement left them short in the Center department, with only Cam Jurgens worthy of starting.
With the Birds already soaring ahead of them, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys have to make a big decision regarding Dak’s contract extension, which won’t be cheap this time.
‘Atrocious’ Playoffs Mean No Extension for Dak Prescott
Dak Prescott put up MVP numbers last season. However, like many QBs before him, he couldn’t handle the pressure of playing in the playoffs, losing in the Wild Card round against the Packers, led by first-year starter Jordan Love. The Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, stated last week that he is waiting for leaves to fall off before deciding on the contracts of Prescott, Lamb, and Parsons. He is afraid of resetting the market.
Given that Prescott is already on a $40 million-a-year contract, any new contract will be in the region of $55 million, which is apparently becoming the going rate nowadays. As per John Middlekauf, despite performing admirably well during the regular season since signing the previous deal, the star QB has been atrocious in the playoffs for two out of three years. The price has gone up dramatically, but one cannot justify giving him that amount of money yet again with nothing to show for in the playoffs.
In today’s pass-heavy NFL, the quarterback position dominates as the most crucial on the field. Finding a talented QB who can lead the team convincingly and raise the performance of their teammates is a challenging task. Consequently, many franchises spare no expense to secure their shot-callers, recognizing the crucial role they play in their success. The utmost example of this is the Falcons’ willingness to pay $180 million to Kirk Cousins, despite his lack of postseason success.
For Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys, the stakes are high. Delaying negotiations with Dak Prescott could result in losing him to free agency or, eventually, having to cough up an inflated $55 million to retain his services. This presents a challenging dilemma for the Cowboys, who are eager to break their three-decade-long Super Bowl drought.
