Dak Prescott’s place in Dallas doesn’t appear to be up for debate.
With the Cowboys making a notable change at quarterback behind him, the message from insider Clarence Hill Jr. was blunt: the team is sticking with Prescott and isn’t lining up anyone to take over anytime soon.
"Dak Prescott will be the Cowboys quarterback for years to come," Hill tweeted. "There is no succession plan, no developmental option in place."
That came after Dallas released Joe Milton III, who had been Prescott’s backup last season. The move left Prescott entrenched as the starter and Sam Howell stepping in as the new No. 2 on the depth chart.
Prescott is heading into his 11th season with the Cowboys, the team that drafted him with the No. 135 pick in 2016. Over 10 years, he has helped Dallas reach five playoff appearances, though a Super Bowl trip has still eluded him. In 2024, he signed a four-year extension worth $240 million.
Last season, Prescott and the Cowboys put together one of the league’s top offensive outputs. They finished second in the NFL with 391.9 yards per game and 51 touchdowns, while Prescott threw for 4,552 yards and 30 passing touchdowns.
Even with that production, Dallas missed the playoffs and ended up second in the NFC East at 7-9-1. The Cowboys’ most recent postseason appearance came in the 2023 season, when they lost to the Packers in a wild-card game.
The decision to waive Milton also drew attention from Chad Ochocinco, who offered a different theory on Monday’s episode of the "Nightcap" show. Officially, Milton was waived to make room for running back Emari Demercado, who was claimed off waivers. But Ochocinco suggested Milton’s preseason performance may have made him a tough fit behind Prescott.
"When I saw it on Twitter, I'm like, 'What?'" Ochocinco said.
"That's crazy. And the first thing that went into my head, you know what?
We can't have a quarterback on the active roster that played that well. And if things aren't going well, the first thing, the whispers are, 'Oh they need to put so-and-so in and see how he can do.'
"I don't think the Cowboys would even be in that situation where things are gonna go bottoms out. That's not happening, not with those weapons which you have. But just the fact that they chose Sam Howell over Joe Milton, despite how Joe Milton played, this is a dirty business in general man."
Milton appeared in all three preseason games for Dallas and finished 29 of 43 for 378 yards with four total touchdowns.
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