Cowboys survey, Part 2: When the Cowboys will return to the Super Bowl and thoughts on Dak Prescott's contract (2024)

Last week, you answered our 25-question fan survey focusing on the 2021Dallas Cowboys. We asked you about Dak Prescott, Mike McCarthy, Dan Quinn, Ezekiel Elliott and a whole lot more. You can check out thesurvey results from more than 1,300 people here. Over the next few weeks,The Athletic’s Cowboys experts — Jon Machota and Bob Sturm — are going to let you know what they think about some of the survey questions.

Here’s the second installment looking at their thoughts on 10 questions (here’s what Jon and Bob said in Part 1):

How long before the Cowboys get back to the Super Bowl?

Machota: Somewhere between five and 10 years, but I’ll go with five if I have to pick one. Quarterback is by far the most important position in the sport and Dak Prescott is good enough to lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl. If they fall short the next few years, Mike McCarthy will be replaced and the next coach will be hired with the same goal that McCarthy had, get the Cowboys back to the Super Bowl. There won’t be a rebuild. As long as Prescott is healthy and they have the right coach, I think Will McClay and company will put together a good enough supporting cast to get the franchise back to the top. If the 2017 Eagles can get hot at the right time with a backup QB and win a Super Bowl, why can’t the Cowboys do something similar over the next five years?

Sturm: I am willing to take a chance here and say it will happen in the next three years. The NFC looks like it might have a QB reload to consider with very few conference QBs hitting their “late 20s prime” with Prescott joined by … almost nobody else. Drew Brees is gone, Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson might be aging out, Tom Brady is someone we have no idea about, but otherwise, who are the heavyweight contenders in the NFC? Kyler Murray? Matt Stafford? Justin Fields? It would seem Prescott has a real chance and so do the Cowboys. Three years is a gutsy call, but I am going for it. I think it can happen.

How did you feel about the Cowboys hiring Dan Quinn as their defensive coordinator?

Machota: Loved it. There isn’t another candidate that I thought would be a better option. Quinn’s defensive resume is impressive and he gives the defense a coordinator with a head coach mentality. Having watched every game and every practice open to reporters last year, I think that’s exactly what this defense needs.

Sturm: Loved it. There are very few defensive coordinator hires where you get someone of this pedigree. I don’t think he is going to follow the same blueprints in Seattle (which makes me happy, because the NFL is not the same league and he doesn’t have the same talent), but he will vary his approach to attempt to make sure he gives this defense a chance. Then, the personnel is improved. Still the weaker side, but Quinn is a masterstroke.

How did you feel about Dak Prescott’s new contract?

Machota: I think fans should be very happy about the deal. It can be debated that they overpaid a little to get it done, but that was the going rate on the next NFL franchise quarterback up for a contract. I think those who are critical of the deal will feel a little bit better after Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield sign their next contracts. The most important thing for the Cowboys is they have their guy and they don’t have to potentially spend the next 3-5 years trying to find his replacement. There’s certainly no guarantee that they would’ve immediately done that this offseason.

Sturm: Probably, somewhere in between the answers. It is tough to be “very happy” to know you have paid him as much as a quarterback can possibly be paid, but it should make everyone happy to know the position is locked in with a very good player. Now, the Cowboys have to make the roster work and he has to deliver the quality of play that is required of that level of compensation. It could very well be a time when he is under the microscope more than ever, but he is capable of much more than most seem to admit.

Who is the most underrated player on the roster?

Machota: I have no issue with Michael Gallup and Tony Pollard getting the most fan votes here, but I’d probably go with who finished No. 3: DeMarcus Lawrence. I understand that his contract makes most think he must get double-digit sacks every season for the deal to be worth the investment. And his sack numbers need to be better than they have been the previous two years. But I also think he’s unquestionably the team’s best defender and he’s a factor in so many more ways than just getting sacks.

Sturm: DeMarcus Lawrence, easily. He has been a plus player for almost every season and has been this team’s defensive leader and yet you still have to convince people he is really good. His 2020 wasn’t quite to his normal level, so I would like to see a better 2021 out of him. But, folks, there is much more to life than raw sack totals.

Who is the most overrated player on the roster?

Machota: Jaylon Smith. He’s in the prime of his career and paid to be one of the NFL’s best linebackers. He started all 16 games last year and some will point out that he led the team in tackles for the second consecutive season. Yet, the franchise addressed his position this offseason by adding its most notable free agent in Keanu Neal and top draft pick in Micah Parsons.

Sturm: Ezekiel Elliott. I don’t mean to belabor this point, but the draft investment and the cash investment in a player who is popular, but extremely limited in this modern NFL continues to befuddle me. If only he was a dynamic pass catcher, I would never say this, but he is a very basic-route player and does not have the ability to morph into a receiver when they need it, so I hope he continues to sell a lot of jerseys.

What grade would you give the Cowboys for their offseason?

Machota: B. Getting Prescott signed and making the change from Mike Nolan to Quinn at defensive coordinator was a good start. A few decent pieces were added in free agency, and Parsons should be an immediate impact player from the draft. But there are too many questions surrounding the entire draft class for me to go any higher than a B.

Sturm: A solid B or B-, but much of that is the offseason allowed them to clean up their coaching staff and to get their injured veterans healed. That and hitting the defense with upgrades all over should serve them well for the next several seasons. For a team with no cap room, to get the Prescott deal done and to add that many young prospects and Quinn, I was pretty happy overall.

Not including Micah Parsons, which 2021 draft pick will make the biggest impact this season?

Machota: It should be Kelvin Joseph, but there’s no guarantee. We didn’t get to see much from him during organized team activities and minicamp. A big training camp would go a long way. The Cowboys would love for Joseph to earn the other outside starting cornerback spot opposite Trevon Diggs. If he fails to secure that job, the biggest impact could end up coming from third-round pick Osa Odighizuwa. That defensive tackle position just seems wide open at this point.

Sturm: Kelvin Joseph, I should think. Most of the rest of that rookie class will have a hard time getting the same level of early opportunities, but I would sure think Joseph can start from opening night on. He will take his lumps, but the Cowboys with Joseph and Diggs on the outside should be pretty salty.

If you could get a contract extension done with only one of these players before the season started, who would it be?

Machota: Randy Gregory. I think Gallup is an outstanding player, but the price tag for him is likely going to be too expensive. I think Gregory could be had on a much more team-friendly deal. It’s also much more difficult to find standout edge rushers than it is to find No. 3 wide receivers. Gallup is better than a No. 3, but that’s where he’s likely going to remain as long as Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb are healthy.

Sturm: Gallup is probably the consensus and maybe the one of higher impact, but I would be tempted to put a smaller deal on Gregory and get that in the bag. Gallup might end up being a $15 million-a-year player so you have to choose between his future and that of Cooper. But, with Gregory, if he is what I think he is, then you can have an edge at age 29 locked in who will certainly be a starter for his contract. I would do that, I think.

Should CeeDee Lamb remain the team’s primary punt returner?

Machota: Yes. For one more year. As long as Cooper and Gallup are healthy, there’s enough depth at wide receiver that I’m willing to take my chances for one more season. But next year, or if Cooper or Gallup go down, I’d be looking to move him out of that role.

Sturm: I don’t think I would risk that. Lamb takes enough shots running underneath and down the seams that I think he is a concussion risk. Even in his rookie season, I think he was hit harder than any other Cowboys player in 2020 over and over and he keeps getting up. But, one dangerous job is more valuable than the other. Punt returns are dangerous all the time and while it might be a creative way to get Tony Pollard more touches or others, I think Lamb is too valuable to the offense, save for very special occasions.

Who will lead the team in tackles?

Machota: Parsons. As long as he can handle everything that Quinn is putting on his plate, Parsons is going to play a lot. And with him on the field so much, I think he’s going to be making plays all over the place. Leighton Vander Esch would certainly be a candidate as well if he’s able to stay healthy for a full season.

Sturm: This feels like a very tricky question, but I do think Leighton Vander Esch is a tackling machine and they will probably wish to give him every chance to be that guy in 2021. He has to prove his health and he has to prove he is the best option, but I would say he is my favorite to lead the team in tackles — even though that particular stat can be deceiving and sometimes even lacking real value sometimes (depending on proper context as to the when and where of the tackles made). We should also not discount the very real possibility of Parsons and Cox being the full-time duo at linebacker in 12 months.

(Top photo of Dak Prescott: Tim Heitman / USA Today)