Dallas Cowboys

Is Dak Prescott the best thing Dallas has going?

Published May. 31, 2022 8:14 p.m. ET

In the eyes of many, the Dallas Cowboys took a step back during the offseason.

They weren't incredibly active in the free agent market, and despite Jerry Jones expressing his satisfaction with their efforts following the NFL Draft, a number of analysts wholeheartedly disagreed with their strategy.

"I'm worried about the Cowboys," Emmanuel Acho said on Tuesday's episode of "Speak For Yourself." "They're not going to be as competitive this year as they were last year. Unfortunately, it's going to be worse. They took a step back, and everybody else took a step forward.

"They lost Amari Cooper, La'el Collins and Cedrick Wilson," Acho added. "Those are big. Meanwhile, the Eagles added A.J. Brown, Hassan Reddick, Nakobe Dean. The Giants took Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal in the first round. Then Washington added Jahan Dotson. The real question you have to ask is, how many leaps and bounds did everybody else in the division take?"

How Cowboys took a step back this offseason I SPEAK FOR YOURSELF

The Dallas Cowboys lost some big names this offseason, but Dak Prescott came to his new teammates' defense, saying that he is excited to "prove people wrong."

The condemnatory noise in recent weeks has made its way past Dak Prescott's desk. And according to him, the team hasn't taken a step back in the slightest.

"We know what we have in this locker room and we know what we can be," Prescott said, via Jon Machota of "The Athletic."

"Talent is one thing, but if you don’t fulfill it, it doesn’t really mean anything. So just from the names and stuff like that, we got young players that just haven’t had a chance to make a name for themselves. I’m excited for those guys to be able to do that and for them to prove people wrong.

"I know what this team has and the men that they have and the coaches and the leadership," he said. "We definitely didn’t take a step back. We’re going to continue to get better and that’s what this offseason is about, and that’s what moving forward is."

Even though the man at the helm of the Cowboys offense isn’t concerned with outside criticisms, according to Colin Cowherd, Prescott is sailing in treacherous waters, and is in danger of becoming the lone raft keeping his team afloat.

"The concerning part [about Dallas] is that the offensive line, the run game, the weapons and the pass rush are all not as special as two years ago," Cowherd opined Tuesday on "The Herd."

"What you're going to see over the next couple of years is Dak moving into the ‘Derek Carr territory,’ which means he'll get all of the heat because of the position he plays, but he's going to be the life-preserver of a franchise that doesn't do many things well. And that's Derek Carr."

Cowherd continued on to compare Prescott's potential path to that of Tom Brady's if Dallas doesn't find the necessary pieces to put around their QB.

"If you have three or four drafts where you don't hit on guys — Brady left [New England] because they had no receivers. He didn't choose Tampa because the coach or the winning culture. He chose it because they had great receivers and great players.

"Dak, early in his career, was hoisted up by his surrounding talent. Now, he's going to be the most dependable thing they have and take more criticism."

Will Dak Prescott's Cowboys struggle this season?

Colin Cowherd explains why Dak Prescott is moving into Derek Carr territory, which means getting 'all of the heat because of the position he plays but is going to be a life preserver to a franchise that doesn't do many things well.'