Once again, Dak Prescott inspires his teammates and shows he’s the leader of the Cowboys

There are more reasons why the Cowboys dumped a ton of money on Dak Prescott this offseason.

Until Dak Prescott does something like take the Cowboys to a Super Bowl and adds another Lombardi Trophy to the trophy case, there is always going to be some debate among Cowboys fans about his worth. Even then, you might still get some disagreement. Getting all Cowboys fans to agree on something is nearly impossible (except when it comes towards feelings for the Eagles).

When the Cowboys dropped a four-year, $160 million contract on Prescott this offseason, the fanbase was split about the move. It seems a majority were happy about the move although a significant minority resisted it according to a recent survey from The Athletic. They found 66% of Cowboys fans agreed with the move, while 30% thought they paid too much. A very small minority thought they should have moved on (under 4%).

Obviously much of this debate centered around production on the field and how the Cowboys have performed while Prescott has been quarterback. That is how it should be because no one wants to keep a quarterback who is not producing on the field. But with quarterbacks, there are also intangibles to consider. One of them is about leadership. Does the QB have command of the team and are his teammates ready to fight with him through all adversity? If you believe what Prescott’s teammates and coaches are saying, he has that part of the job on lockdown.

Take offensive tackle Tyron Smith. He had to go through some rehab this offseason, as did Prescott. He found Prescott’s approach to that process inspirational.

“For me, the way Dak worked throughout the whole off season the way he pushed himself the way he came back and is able to be on the field with everybody else, its amazing,” said [Tyron] Smith, a seven-time Pro Bowl player, who is returning from neck surgery that sidelined him for 14 games in 2020.

“It lights a fire under you to like, ‘hey push a little bit harder.’ If your quarterback is going to push like that, we got to push the same way or even harder for him. It’s motivational to do what he does.”

Smith’s counterpart on the other side of the line, La’el Collins, echoed those sentiments.

“[Seeing him from] Day 1 to now, it’s like night and day,” Collins said of Prescott’s recovery. “It gives me chills to think about it because he doesn’t complain. Even if things bother him, he just finds a way to keep going and keep pushing. It goes a long way with guys, especially on tough days. He keeps going. It just makes everybody want to keep going, especially me. He’s definitely a big-time leader.

“When I see that guy, that’s who I do it for. That’s my locker mate. I’ll protect him at all costs.”

No one is suggesting that these things are more important than producing on Sundays (or Thursdays, or Mondays), but it’s part of the reason the Cowboys felt comfortable in giving Prescott the massive contract. Prescott is almost always going to do the right thing off the field. He’s also going to inspire his teammates to work that much harder to win. These are valuable intangibles and are part of what makes up the Prescott Experience.

His head coach also buys in.

“Dak Prescott’s leadership exudes through the whole football operation,” McCarthy said. “I’m sure it goes far beyond that. The everyday interaction with him is so consistent and steady. He’s as real a person I’ve been fortunate to work with, and I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of great ones. He’s the same in the training room. He’s the same in the weight room. The equipment room. Everybody has such a strong relationship with him.”

All Cowboys fans want success on the field. We want wins and we want championships. Ultimately, that will be what Prescott’s career is measured on. Having the confidence and backing of his teammates can help that process. A fractured locker room is going nowhere. It doesn’t sound like the Cowboys are going to have that problem when it comes to its quarterback. There is total faith and belief in Prescott inside the organization.

Now we just wait for the big payoff.

We discussed the state of the quarterback position on the Cowboys in the latest video on the Blogging The Boys YouTube Channel. Make sure to subscribe to the channel (which you can do so right here) so you don’t miss any of our videos!