8 potential Prescott replacements and the Penix perpendicularity

While it comes across to some that the Dallas Cowboys front office no longer has a plan, rest assured they do. Whether it’s a good plan or not is definitely up for debate. The Cowboys have chosen to not yet open up their wallets for franchise quarterback Dak Prescott, and as such he appears ready to enter his ninth year in the league on the final year of his contract.

There’s still time to make a deal, but it would be foolish to think the front office is not building contingency plans if he should walk in free agency following the season. Part of those plans involve potentially drafting a QB next year, but it also must include considering veteran QBs who could be available next offseason. Much of the focus of Cowboys Nation has been on where Prescott could land next year, but Dallas will have various levels of replacement options to pursue.

And in that vein, the biggest surprise of Round 1 on the 2024 NFL draft may have contributed another candidate. There’s a world where the Falcons’ draft move intersects with the Cowboys QB situation.

Atlanta spent the No. 8 pick on Washington QB Michael Penix, Jr., despite guaranteeing Kirk Cousins $100 million as the biggest free-agency splash in the league. While they’ll co-exist in 2024, Cousins all of a sudden is a trade candidate next year, before he’s even taken a snap in the Peach State. That adds the veteran to a lengthening list of quarterbacks who could end up wearing the star next season.

Here we’ll look at each, and whether or not they would be considered a bridge to someone else as the team rebuilds, or a franchise quarterback candidate. None of these players are as good as Prescott, but that’s why they’d be cheaper alternatives for the club.