The Dallas Cowboys could reportedly franchise tag Dak Prescott, and neither Brandon Tierney nor Tiki Barber can believe the Cowboys are in this situation.
“It’s idiotic, it is sloppy – the Dallas Cowboys deserve everything they get if they didn’t learn from the team in their own division, the Redskins,” Tierney said Tuesday on Tiki & Tierney. “Dak is clearly better than Kirk Cousins. Listen, I’m a Dak fan and so is [Tiki]. He’s not a superstar, might not ever be a superstar, but he deserves to get paid.”
Prescott, a fourth-round pick in 2016, is coming off the best statistical season of his career. He completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 4,902 yards, 30 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
“The young man that they drafted in the middle rounds who has over-delivered from minute one – from a business point of view, Dallas usually does a lot right,” Tierney said. “How can they mess this up?”
Two words: Ezekiel Elliott.
“They messed up because they prioritized Ezekiel Elliott over Dak Prescott [last offseason],” Barber said. “I get it: Zeke was [playing] hardball . . . [but] of course he was going to show up. Melvin Gordon, same thing.”
Elliott signed a six-year $90 million contract in September. He had 1,700+ total yards and 14 touchdowns (12 rushing, two receiving), but Dallas finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.
“Could the Dallas Cowboys have gotten by without Zeke Elliott this year? Of course,” Barber said. “Would the fans have been upset because they don’t see their dude? Would they have been upset that he wasn’t out there? Yeah. But they probably would have had the same result. The point is, you’re now sitting in a circumstance where, because you prioritized Zeke Elliott last offseason, you are stuck having to franchise Dak Prescott.
“I hate this.”