Is Dak Prescott ready to replace Tony Romo?
By John Buhler
Rookie quarterback Dak Prescott has been a revelation this preseason for the Dallas Cowboys, but will he be ready to replace Tony Romo when the time comes?
While Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, and Paxton Lynch all went in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, there has not been a more impressive rookie quarterback this preseason than Dallas Cowboys fourth-round pick Dak Prescott.
In three preseason games for the Cowboys, Prescott has completed 78% of his passes (39-50) for 454 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions. He has been effective on the ground with seven carries for 53 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Prescott has asserted himself as the Cowboy’s certain backup quarterback this preseason, but will the former Mississippi Bulldogs standout be the guy that becomes Romo’s heir apparent in Dallas?
Romo has had a great career with the Cowboys as their starting quarterback, but may not have much left in the tank as a 36-year-old with an injury-riddled past. He is a four-time NFL Pro Bowler with a 78-49 record in Dallas. When healthy, Romo is a top 10 quarterback in the NFL.
At 6’2″, 230 pounds, Prescott has the look of an NFL starting quarterback, but may need another year or two before he can take the reins from Romo in Dallas. Prescott was an accomplished and accurate passer in college (9,376 passing yards, 70 touchdown passes, 62.8% completion percentage), but didn’t run a traditional pro style offense under Dan Mullen in Starkville.
Prescott was asked to run the football often at Mississippi State. He had 2,521 career rushing yards and 41 touchdowns on the ground in 536 rushing attempts. It was a key part to his game at Mississippi State, but cannot rely on his legs to win games in the NFL.
Prescott has played in many big SEC games before. He has superior passing mechanics than fellow Mullen disciple Tim Tebow. Prescott would also benefit from playing behind an elite Cowboys offensive line. Dallas’ three NFC East rivals aren’t great at rushing the passer either. Prescott has strong offensive weapons like wide receiver Dez Bryant and tight end Jason Witten to work with.
Essentially, Prescott can succeed as the next star quarterback in Dallas, but he will have to grow into a more polished pro style passer. He has a charismatic leadership style, but did have off the field issues in small town Starkville.
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Maturity and the ability to make second and third reads of NFL defenses will decide if Prescott has what it takes to be Romo’s successor in Dallas. Prescott might be able to help the Cowboys win a game or two this season should Romo miss time due to injury. However, that is all contingent on if Prescott can recognize exotic blitz packages coming at him during his first meaningful NFL game.
Prescott has a lot going for him to be a strong candidate as Romo’s eventual successor. However, he will not be ready in 2016 or probably even in 2017. The 2018 NFL season is when Prescott will be ready to lead the Cowboys offense.