kk.“Jerry Jones Is Wasting Dak Prescott”: Why a $240 Million Quarterback Can’t Save a Broken Cowboys Defense
Dallas, TX — Dak Prescott is playing at an MVP level few quarterbacks in NFL history have matched.
Through the 2025 season, the Dallas Cowboys signal-caller has thrown for over 4,500 yards, 36 touchdowns, and maintained elite efficiency — numbers that would headline any franchise as a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Prescott has been precise, resilient, and — despite playing behind a patchwork offensive line and without consistent weapons — has kept Dallas in games they have no business being in.
Yet the Cowboys sit outside the playoff picture, and the reason is painfully obvious to anyone who watches the tape: the defense is historically bad.
Dallas ranks dead last in nearly every major defensive category — points allowed, yards per play, third-down conversion rate, red-zone defense, takeaways. Opponents are scoring at will, and the unit that once terrorized the league under coordinators like Dan Quinn now looks lost, undisciplined, and undersized.
On a recent episode of ESPN’s Get Up, analyst Dan Orlovsky finally said what millions of Cowboys fans have been screaming into their TVs for years:
“Jerry Jones is wasting Dak Prescott.”
The words landed like a thunderclap.
Orlovsky didn’t mince: “You cannot ask one man — no matter how talented — to overcome a defense that can’t get off the field. Dak is playing at an All-Pro level. The problem is the team around him isn’t built to win in January. Jerry has spent on offense, on stars, on headlines — but he’s refused to invest in the trenches on defense. That’s not mismanagement. That’s malpractice.”
The numbers back him up. Despite Prescott’s elite production, Dallas has lost multiple games this season in which the offense scored 30+ points — a stat that should be impossible. The Cowboys have been outscored by an average of 12 points in the second half of losses, with the defense surrendering explosive plays at a league-worst rate.
Prescott’s new $240 million contract — one of the richest in NFL history — was supposed to be the cornerstone of a championship window. Instead, it has become a symbol of frustration. Fans and analysts alike are asking the same uncomfortable question:
How long before Dak starts thinking about an exit?
Prescott has remained loyal — publicly praising the organization, expressing love for Dallas, and refusing to entertain trade rumors. But loyalty has limits when the team around you refuses to match your commitment. Super Bowl contenders need balance. Dallas has a Ferrari engine in a car with no brakes.
Jerry Jones, the owner who has always prided himself on building through the draft and free agency, has doubled down on offensive talent while letting the defense deteriorate. The Cowboys have not signed a top-tier defensive free agent in years, and their draft strategy has prioritized skill positions over the trenches.
The pressure is mounting.
Cowboys Nation is restless. Social media is flooded with #FreeDak hashtags, fan edits showing Prescott in other uniforms, and calls for change at the top. Former players have begun speaking out. DeMarcus Ware recently said: “You can’t win with one side of the ball. Dak deserves better.”
For now, Prescott keeps showing up — playing through pain, carrying the offense, and refusing to point fingers. But even the most loyal players have breaking points. If the defense isn’t fixed — if the front office doesn’t match his investment in the team — the whispers will grow louder.
Is Jerry Jones wasting Dak Prescott?
The numbers say yes. The tape says yes. And increasingly, the fans — and the analysts — are saying it out loud.
The clock is ticking. The window is closing. And the question hanging over Dallas isn’t whether Dak can win a Super Bowl. It’s whether Dallas is willing to build a team worthy of him.
America’s Team has the quarterback. Now it needs to act like it.
