Jerry Jones says it's 'crazy' to think Cowboys will pick QB in draft: 'Dak is our quarterback'
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talked a lot about quarterbacks again during his weekly radio interview on 105.3 The Fan. He praised backup-turned-starter Andy Dalton, and gave a clue about what the Cowboys might do if they get a high pick in the 2021 draft.
Spoiler: they won’t be taking a quarterback.
‘Dak is our quarterback’
With half the season left to play it’s not a foregone conclusion that the Cowboys will have a high draft pick in 2021, but at this point it seems likely they’ll have a top-10 pick if not a top-five pick. With Dak Prescott’s season-ending injury and his long-term contract demands, the hosts of “Shan & RJ” asked Jones if it’s “crazy to bring up the idea of taking a quarterback” if the Cowboys have the second or third pick in the draft. Jones confirmed that it is, in fact, crazy.
"Yes, you ask me if it's crazy to bring the idea up? And I've answered it, yes,” Jones said. “It's not the thing to be talking about at all. Dak is our quarterback. ... We're so fired up about him and leading us into the future. ... We're fired up about our future with Dak."
Jones has repeatedly said that Prescott is the Cowboys’ future even though they failed to agree on a long-term deal over the offseason. Jones certainly didn’t promise anything with his draft talk, but Prescott will be the future of the team if they’re not going to pick a quarterback in the draft.
Dalton will be starter again
The Cowboys have been snakebitten at quarterback this season with Prescott getting injured, Dalton going into the concussion protocol and then on the reserve/COVID-19 list, and rookie Ben DiNucci getting walloped by the Philadelphia Eagles. Week 9 starter Garrett Gilbert almost led the Cowboys to an upset victory over the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers, but Jones was firm about who will be starting for the Cowboys as soon as he’s healthy.
“Andy is [our starter]. When we signed Andy, I really thought we had arguably the best backup QB I’ve ever been associated with, and we’ve had some good ones. ... To have Andy Dalton as your backup quarterback when in fact Andy is in my mind a very legitimate starter ...”
Jones then praised Gilbert for his calmness and instincts, but said that Dalton will be the starter because he has more of those qualities and more experience as an NFL starter. It’s possible Gilbert could get another shot down the line (especially depending on how the second half of the season turns out), but for now he’ll be watching from the sideline.
More from Yahoo Sports:
