Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton did not have to wait long to find a new team after he was released by the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday. The Dallas Cowboys signed Dalton to a one-year deal on Saturday, officially slotting him in to be the backup quarterback behind Dak Prescott.
But former Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant thinks this was a poor use of funds.
Bryant said the Cowboys were “out of line” in signing Dalton, suggesting they could have used some of that money to ink Prescott to a new extension. He also noted the Cowboys previously paid former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo despite a relative lack of team success.
The Cowboys used the exclusive franchise tag to keep Prescott from hitting the open market, and most around the league believed it was only a matter of time before the two sides agreed on a lucrative extension. But there has yet to be much progress with respect to those contract talks.
However, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has consistently iterated a deal will get done while saying Prescott will be the starting quarterback Week 1.
Of course, signing Dalton also ensures depth at the quarterback position in the event Prescott orchestrates a holdout.
Still, Bryant might have a point.
Prescott is coming off the finest season of his career. He threw for 4,902 yards and 30 touchdowns while ranking fourth in total QBR, per ESPN. He also has a 40-24 record in four seasons as Dallas' starter.
Week 1 of the regular season is still four months away, so Prescott and the Cowboys have plenty of time to hash out a new deal.
However, Bryant believes the team should show more urgency in locking up their franchise quarterback.