Did Dak Prescott Get His Groove Back?

by
Former Writers
November 28, 2018

Keith Allison via Flickr

Amari Cooper May Have Been Exactly What the Doctor Order for Dak Prescott

Since the Dallas Cowboys acquired wide receiver, Amari Cooper, the offense has been on the uptick. Jerry Jones picked up the wideout via trade with the Oakland Raiders, giving Mark Davis a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. After just four games in the blue and white, Cooper has recorded a team-high three touchdowns.

Cooper has also caught for 349 passing yards, the third most on the team, and boasts the longest aerial attack with a 90-yard touchdown reception. Above him in the receiving category is WR Cole Beasley and running back Ezekiel Elliott. The introduction of Cooper into the Dallas offense has proved mutually exclusive for both the team and the wide receiver.

However, one player may be benefitting from this trade even more so than Cooper himself. That player would be none other than, quarterback Dak Prescott.

Numbers Don’t Lie

Since Amari Cooper first stepped onto the field as a Cowboy in Week 9, Dak Prescott’s numbers have received a steroid boost. Prior to Week 9, Prescott’s average rating was just 88.5. Against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3, Prescott completed just 55.9% of his passes. In Week 2 against the New York Giants, he threw for just 160 passing yards off 25 attempts. In those first eight weeks, he threw two interceptions every third game and ran the ball 40 times. In the Week 6 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, he ran for nearly 100 yards.

Since Cooper joined Prescott’s receiving core, it’s been nearly a different season for the QB. Prescott’s average rating since Week 9 is 102.5, a staggering 14% improvement. Prescott is also now completing on average 70% of his passes and averaging nearly eight yards per pass. Prescott has also inched closer to the 300 passing yard mark he has been unable to hit since Week 13 of the 2017 season.

The most important stat of all, the Cowboys are 3-1 since acquiring Cooper. Their only loss in that stretch was to the Tennessee Titans in Cooper’s first game with the team.

What Changed?

At the beginning of the season, Prescott’s potential targets were limited. Excluding Beasley and Elliott, Prescott had a few decent options and several sub-par ones. Michael Gallup, Geoff Swaim, Allen Hurns, Tavon Austin, and Deonte Thompson led up the rear of the receiving duties. Those five receivers have accounted for 758 receiving yards this season. The seven players below them who have recorded more than one reception, have yet to break the 100-yard receiving mark for the season.

Before Cooper, Prescott was forced to delegate his targets liberally. Defensive secondaries could double-cover Beasley, and suddenly Prescott was out of options. A linebacker playing quarterback spy, a safety watching Elliott on a screen or wheel route, was all a defense needed to do. In short, the field became smaller and smaller for Dallas’ offense and opposing defenses.

The addition of Cooper has extended the field for Prescott, forcing defenses to spread out and allowing him to make some better reads as well as find his receivers more quickly. The depressurization of the pocket has also allowed Prescott to sit back and be more accurate.

Dallas’ Workhorse

Ezekiel Elliott is the backbone of the Dallas offense, and that has not changed. When Elliott’s handed the ball in excess, the Cowboys practically can’t or rarely do lose. However, Elliott has also reaped the benefits of the recent offensive transformation.

In the first eight weeks of the 2018 season, Elliott had four games with 19 or fewer touches. In those eight games, he ran for over 100 yards just three times. In comparison, the four games since Week 9 have included three out of four games with 19 or more touches for Elliott. Additionally, Elliott ran for 100 yards or more in three out of those four games. That fourth odd game out for Elliott was Week 9, Cooper’s first game on the team.

“Good Dak” Here to Stay?

Dak Prescott has done something very few franchise quarterbacks do, and that is to decline in their first three years. Prescott ended his rookie year with a 104.9 rating, his sophomore year with an 86.6 rating, and what was before Cooper an 85.5 rating. Prescott was arguably on track to decline once again this season; however, it seems that Amari Cooper has turned things around. His current rating of 93.2 should improve before season’s end, that is if “Bad Dak” doesn’t come back.

Consistency is not the name of Prescott’s game, something the Dallas locker room and fanbase are painfully aware of. However, the addition of Cooper to the Cowboys’ system may have been just the thing this system quarterback needed. Dallas’ top-tier defense has shown they can close games for “the boys,” while Prescott is now showing he can carry some of the load as well.

There’s isn’t any reason to believe the Cowboys’ offensive incline suddenly stops. It looks like “Good Dak” might help take the current NFC East leaders to the playoffs. The question would then become, does “Bad Dak” show up in January?