Touchdown! The Dak Prescott saga continues, with Nick Wright once again trying to convince the Dallas Cowboys to part ways with their star quarterback. According to the outspoken analyst on First Things First, Jerry Jones, and company should strongly consider rolling the dice on Trey Lance as their quarterback of the future – a move that Wright believes could land them “60% of Dak Prescott” for just “5% of the cost.”

While Chris Broussard acknowledged Prescott as a “legitimate franchise quarterback” who can win a Super Bowl, he questioned if this is a “prove-it” year for Dak with a roster that may not be as strong as last season’s. With Prescott primed to become the league’s first $60 million man after the Trevor Lawrence deal, Wright believes the Cowboys could save some serious cash by rolling the dice on the former 49ers backup. Danny Parkins, however, pushed back – “Dak has accomplished so much more than Lance. It would be the biggest gamble we’ve seen to move on from a legitimate top 10 QB in his prime.”

It’s a bold claim that can send shockwaves through the league. Prescott, coming off a season where he finished second in MVP voting and ranked fifth in QBR (65.8), has established himself as a legitimate franchise quarterback. From 2021 to 2023, he amassed 10,327 passing yards and 75 touchdowns while posting an impressive 8.1 yards per attempt. But Prescott, for all his talents, hasn’t exactly been a playoff juggernaut, with a 2-5 record as a starter in the postseason.

While he’s undoubtedly a top-tier quarterback, some might argue that his playoff struggles don’t quite justify the price tag. As Broussard noted, “If they pay Dak, Lamb, and Parsons, how do they build a team around that?”

Nevertheless, Wright is sure that the Cowboys could find another substitute in Lance which will be more budget-friendly. Just 24 years old, this ex-49ers backup has exhibited talent in his rare opportunities to play. As a rookie, Lance put up a 97.3 passer rating with two starts recording an average of 8.5 yards per attempt.

“Trey had a promising rookie year when given opportunities,” Wright countered. “There’s no evidence he’s a zero, so why not take that chance if it frees up tons of cap space?”

However, there is important information to consider: throughout his three-year NFL career, Lance has thrown only 102 passes. This means he has less experience than a backup quarterback should have and raises concerns over whether or not he can lead America’s Team.

Weighing the pros and cons of a Lance-led offense over Dak Prescott

If the Cowboys did hitch their wagon to Lance, what might that look like on the gridiron? Well, for starters, we’d likely see an offense that leans heavily on the run game and play-action passing, capitalizing on Lance’s mobility (168 rushing yards on 38 attempts in 2021) and his big arm.

Thus, Wright envisions a system comparable to the one Jalen Hurts runs in Philadelphia or the RPO-heavy attack of the Titans centered on Ryan Tannehill- that would fit the dual-threat abilities of Lance perfectly; potential savings could also allow Dallas to strengthen other areas of its roster, which was ranked 16/32 in total defense last year.

However, there is another side of this coin as well – what about the development of Lance? Besides his limited game reps, whether Dallas’s coaching staff can find such hidden qualities from him as Kyle Shanahan could not uncover in San Francisco is still an open question.

Then again, Prescott himself was an afterthought in the 2017 draft before an injury paved his path to stardom. Perhaps Lance just needs that same stroke of luck – or maybe the Cowboys’ stellar drafting prowess, which landed talents like CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons, can unearth another hidden gem.

At the end of the day, Wright’s audacious proposal boils down to a classic risk-reward scenario. Do the Cowboys play it safe and pay top dollar to retain a proven commodity in Prescott? Or do they roll the dice on a tantalizing but unproven talent like Lance, sacrificing some certainty for much-needed cap flexibility? Only time will tell which gamble Jerry Jones is willing to take as the contract negotiations with Prescott loom large.