Dak Prescott is having another big year for the Dallas Cowboys. In eight games played this season, the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback has registered a league-best 204 completed passes out of 290 attempts (70.3%) for 2,069 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. Prescott also leads the NFL in first downs with 100. He’s logged 25 carries for 87 yards and one rushing TD.
Despite Prescott’s strong play, however, the Cowboys are 3-4-1 on the season. They are coming off a disappointing 44-24 blowout loss to Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos on Sunday, which further compounded Dallas’ defensive woes this year.
While the Prescott-led offense has been relatively impressive in Dallas, the same cannot be said about their defense. The Cowboys’ secondary has allowed the most passing yards in the NFL, with 2,185, resulting in a league-worst 20 touchdowns. They haven’t fared much better in the running game, either. They are 29th in the NFL for rushing yards allowed (1,168) and tied for second-worst in rushing TDs allowed (10).
All this has led to trade rumors. The Cowboys have already been linked to Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders and Trey Hutchinson of the Cincinnati Bengals, but Dallas was reportedly rebuffed in their attempt to trade for the two star defensive ends.
On Thursday, Prescott addressed the rumors by sharing his honest thoughts on the Cowboys potentially making a big move before the trade deadline on Tuesday.
“It definitely can help a team, (not) being naïve and understanding where we are,” Prescott said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “To say one position is where we need to go, or that, I’m not sure. Leave it to the guys who are in those talks and I’m sure making those decisions and working hard right now as we near the deadline to figure out something.”
At the same time, however, Prescott remains confident in the players inside the locker room. The quarterback shared what he told his teammates as the deadline looms.
“It definitely can help. Not going to shy away from saying that,” Prescott continued. “But I will go back to what I said after the last game. I just encourage the guys in the locker room to do whatever they can in this time to shut that talk up. That’s just all of us looking in the mirror and trying to say where can I be better and how can I take advantage of this opportunity.”
The Cowboys are back in action on Monday for a Week 9 home matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at AT&T Center. That game will be one day before the Nov. 4 trade deadline.
