Cowboys ‘Intrigued’ by Idea of Taking Top Quarterback in Draft

Getty Images C.J. Stroud of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The Dallas Cowboys have their franchise quarterback in Dak Prescott but the team is “intrigued” by the idea of landing Ohio State standout CJ Stroud in the draft.

The report of Dallas’ interest in Stroud comes via Mike Fisher CowboysSI.com, citing a source who was adamant the team has an interest in the highly-touted quarterback.

“I don’t know the ‘how,'” the source said told Mike Fisher. “But (Dallas is) absolutely intrigued by Stroud.”

The “how” is certainly a big question, considering Stroud is considered one of the top two quarterbacks in the draft, along with Alabama’s Bryce Young. The Cowboys have the No. 26 pick in the draft.

Coupled with that is their commitment to quarterback Dak Prescott, who signed a four-year, $160 million contract in 2021. He’ll account for a $49.1 million cap hit next season. They’ll likely look into restructuring Prescott but it’ll add more years to his deal, extending their commitment to him as the starting quarterback. If the Cowboys are truly interested in Stroud, Prescott could be part of a deal to move up in the draft, although that is very unlikely.

Stroud helped lead Ohio State to the College Football Playoff, passing for 3,688 yards, 41 touchdowns and six interceptions last season. He was even better a year ago, passing for 4,435 yards, 44 touchdowns and six interceptions. ESPN’s Todd McShay currently has Stroud going No. 2 overall to the Houston Texans.

Cowboys Want Dak Prescott as Starter for Next Decade

Prescott has been under fire following the Cowboys’ unceremonious exit from the postseason, which came in the form of a 19-12 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round. He tossed a pair of interceptions in that game and tied for the league lead in picks despite missing multiple games.

In all, Prescott passed for 2,860 yards, 23 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 12 starts. Despite his turnover issues last season, Dallas is all in on him being the future.

“Dak is going to be our guy for, hopefully the next 10 years,” Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones said said in early February. “You say that’s a long time because he’s already played seven. But I think Dak will play that long because he takes care of himself, and he’s driven to be great. We fully expect him to be here for 10 years.”

Dak Prescott ‘Upset’ With Kellen Moore Moving On

There is some change coming to the Cowboys’ offense, with the team mutually parting ways with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore this offseason. Mike McCarthy will now call plays and the team named Brian Schottenheimer as offensive coordinator.

Prescott didn’t sound particularly excited about the shift but was happy for Moore — his former teammate with the Cowboys — to have a fresh start.

“When you lose a friend, you’re going to be upset, but that’s the nature of this business,” Prescott said. “When I say I’m upset he’s gone, it’s not that I’m upset about the future. It’s that when you’re a player, you have the relationship we’ve had, when he was a player. [I] watched his success and watched him grow into the coordinator that he is.

“I’m just as excited about our opportunity as I am for a new start for Kellen.”

Moore quickly landed a new gig with the Los Angeles Chargers as their offensive coordinator, where he’ll get to work with quarterback Justin Herbert.