Cowboys' Cooks defends Dak: 'He can't do it all by himself'
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Brandin Cooks is fed up with the criticism surrounding Dak Prescott.
"It's blasphemy. It's unbelievable," Cooks said Wednesday, according to The Athletic's Jon Machota. "The guy shows up every year, year in and year out. Putting up numbers, leading his team. He can't do it all by himself. A lot of those great quarterbacks that I've been with, Tom (Brady) and Drew (Brees), don't get me wrong, they won a lot of games, won a lot of Super Bowls, but they had a lot of help around them as well, right?"
Cooks added: "Us players around (Dak) also got to step up. So when we hear that disrespect, I take that personally, and as his teammates we should take that personally, because at the end of the day, somebody has got to be able to help him get over that hump so we can go win one."
The Cowboys finished atop the NFC East standings in two of the past three seasons, and they produced a 12-5 mark and made the playoffs in each of the past three seasons. But regular-season success didn't translate into a deep playoff run for the franchise, which owns a 2-5 postseason record with Prescott in the lineup.
Prescott's stock was fairly low after he produced a career-low 2,860 yards, 23 touchdowns, and league-high 15 interceptions during his 2022 campaign. However, the three-time Pro Bowler rebounded last season, passing for a league-leading 36 touchdowns to go along with 4,516 yards and a career-high 105.9 passer rating.
Prescott's future with the Cowboys is garnering headlines, as the star passer is entering the final year of his four-year, $160-million contract. The 31-year-old is poised to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason and can't be franchise tagged by Dallas once his current deal expires.
Regardless of where his next contract comes from, Prescott is projected to earn an annual average salary above $55 million.
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones spent most of the offseason attempting to keep the Cowboys' core intact. Two-time All-Pro pass-rusher Micah Parsons is eligible for an extension after producing impressive stats in his first three seasons, while receiver CeeDee Lamb skipped most of the team's OTA sessions and held out of training camp until he landed a four-year, $136-million deal in August. The star wideout is adamant that he wants Prescott throwing him passes in the future.
"I have no doubt that they’re gonna get a deal done. We all know that I want Dak here. Jerry wants Dak here, too, so let's just get this under control and kill the speculation," Lamb said.
Dallas will open its 2024 season on the road against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.