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.
Nothing against Andy dalton because I think he’s a great player..but the cowboys are extremely out of line… Pay Dak… I watched the cowboys pay Tony Twice once without a winning rec… I guess the cowboys viewing the QB position a plug in piece because of the dominant offense
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) May 3, 2020
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.
#Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on the Dak Prescott contract stalemate: “When we’re ready to play, he’ll be there.”
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) April 26, 2020
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.
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