The Dallas Cowboys, out of nowhere, chose to sign Andy Dalton following his release from the Cincinnati Bengals. Contrary to what some believe, the Dalton signing has nothing to do with Dak Prescott, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

When Dalton was released by the Bengals, there were a few teams that were linked as possible landing spots. However, no one mentioned the Cowboys as a team that could pursue the veteran signal-caller.

Of course, by signing Dalton, people are going to assume that the move is connected to Prescott's contract situation. While the Cowboys deny that Dalton's addition doesn't change their stance on Prescott, it's tough to believe that is true.

There's definitely a chance that Dallas signed Dalton to provide some insurance behind Prescott. Plus, Dalton returns to Texas, where he played his college football. On the other hand, the Cowboys could have signed Dalton to send a subliminal message to Prescott.

Since last season, Prescott has been longing to receive a multi-year extension from Dallas. Both Carson Wentz and Jared Goff, who were drafted before Prescott in 2016, received lucrative extensions from their respective teams last offseason. Therefore, Prescott wanted the same for himself, as he felt he earned a raise.

For the Cowboys, they chose to wait until after the 2019 season to begin speaking to Prescott on a new contract. It's safe to say Dallas regrets putting Prescott's extension on hold, having to place the franchise tag on him.

At this point in the offseason, there haven't been any indications that there's been positive progress. Given that, it wouldn't come as surprise if Jerry Jones signed Dalton to send a message to Prescott. Still, by waiting this long to sign him, the Cowboys have given Prescott all of the leverage in this situation.