With Andy Dalton, the Dallas Cowboys are getting a backup quarterback who could be a starter immediately. Dak Prescott, whose contract negotiations have been stalled for months, comes under pressure.

The Dallas Cowboys have a new backup quarterback.

Actually, that would be more of a side note. But the new man behind Dak Prescott is Andy Dalton. A signal caller with nine years’ experience in the NFL. One who’s shown he can lead a team into the playoffs.

“The Red Rifle” undoubtedly has what it takes to be a starter in the NFL. At 32, Dalton is at the top quarterback age, with a few good years in the top football league ahead of him, and in the very first sentence of the press release on Dalton’s signing, the Cowboys mention “Starter Dak Prescott,” behind whom the quarterback position is strengthened. And of course Prescott is still a starter. But the fact that this has to be made so prominently clear underlines that Prescott suddenly has powerful competition in his own camp. Which should not make his situation any easier.

Zeke Elliott has a monster contract in the bag
As a four-round pick, the Cowboys brought Prescott to Dallas in 2016. Together with Running Back Ezekiel Elliott, the two have belonged together ever since like Batman and Robin. But while first round pick Elliott has long since signed a fat contract, Prescott has been underpaid for the last four years with his rookie contract.

For months Prescott and cowboy owner Jerry Jones have been haggling over a new working paper. But an agreement has yet to be reached. They say Prescott’s pay hasn’t been right, or the length of the contract. The Cowboys therefore put the 26-year-old on franchise day, which would bring Prescott 31 million dollars for the next season.

But Prescott did not sign the day so far and skipped the first virtual team activities with the new cowboy coach Mike McCarthy. For this reason too, Dalton’s signing could be seen as a warning shot in Prescott’s direction. After all, under a new head coach everyone starts from scratch, Prescott doesn’t know McCarthy’s system any more than Dalton does.

Is Jerry Jones really fully behind Prescott?
Above all, Dalton’s commitment once again highlights the relationship between Jerry Jones and Prescott. Is the mighty cowboy owner perhaps not as convinced of his playmaker as he always asserts in public?

In any case, the willingness of the billionaire to dig deep into his wallet seemed to be much more likely to be present with Tony Romo. In 2007 and 2013, Romo, who was ousted as quarterback by Prescott, was given highly remunerated contracts. Interestingly, in 2013, when Romo signed a six-year contract worth 108 million dollars, the quarterback had a moderate 8-8 record. Just like Prescott now.

This also brought Dez Bryant to the scene. The former cowboy receiver confirmed to the cowboys via Twitter that he was completely off the track. “Pay Dak,” Bryant demanded. “I suspect the Cowboys see the quarterback as merely an interchangeable part of the dominant offensive.”

Nothing against Andy dalton because I think he’s a great player..but the cowboys are extremely out of line… Pay Dak… I watched the cowboys pay Tony Twice once without a winning rec… I guess the cowboys viewing the QB position a plug in piece because of the dominant offense

— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) May 3, 2020

In fact, the Cowboys have an awesome offense together. Zeke Elliott, rookie receiver CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper – who, by the way, has just signed a $100 million contract – to name but a few. A quarterback can look good in such an offensive. This applies to Prescott, but of course also to Andy Dalton, who never had such weapons in Cincinnati.

The contract poker rests
Currently, the contract poker between Prescott and the Cowboys is on hold, partly because the quarterback’s brother died unexpectedly less than two weeks ago. When the parties return to the negotiating table, however, Prescott’s hand is likely to have deteriorated.

There is even speculation in the US media that the Cowboys could withdraw Prescott’s unsigned franchise tag, start the season with Dalton and save a lot of money. Which in turn could be invested in the team elsewhere.

However, this seems very unlikely. Everything points to the cowboys planning to start the 2020 season with Prescott. But the young quarterback should not feel irreplaceable now. And that is probably exactly what the Dallas Cowboys were aiming for with the signing of Andy Dalton.