Son.“Jerry Jones WASTED Dak Prescott” — ESPN Analyst Exposes the BRUTAL Truth: Cowboys QB Had Elite Season But Defense Was NFL’s WORST. The $240M Question: How Much Longer Will Dak Carry This Broken Team?

Ryan Clark didn’t mince words. And Cowboys Nation needed to hear it. “Jerry Jones wasted Dak Prescott’s season.” Five words that cut through all the noise, all the excuses, all the finger-pointing that’s plagued Dallas this offseason. The ESPN analyst just said what every frustrated Cowboys fan has been screaming since Week 17: This wasn’t Dak’s fault. Not even close.

The Numbers Don’t Lie — They Scream

Let’s get the facts straight before we go any further.

Dak Prescott just completed one of the best statistical seasons of his career. He led the entire NFL in passing yards (4,552), completions (404), and attempts (600). He threw 30 touchdowns against just 10 interceptions. His completion percentage sat at 67.3%. He was ranked the fifth-best quarterback in the entire league by PFF.

Bleacher Report gave him a grade of A. ESPN praised his “resilience and playmaking ability.” He set franchise records. He orchestrated four fourth-quarter comebacks. He passed Tony Romo to become the Cowboys’ all-time passing yards leader.

And the Cowboys went 7-9-1. Missing the playoffs. For the second straight year. How does that happen? How does an elite quarterback performance result in a losing season? Simple: You surround him with the worst defense in NFL history.

The Defense That Destroyed Everything

Here’s the brutal reality that Jerry Jones needs to face: The 2025 Dallas Cowboys defense allowed the most points in franchise history. They were ranked dead last — 32nd out of 32 teams — in points allowed.

Think about that. Dak Prescott was the fifth-best quarterback in football, playing behind the 21st-ranked offensive line, in front of the 32nd-ranked defense. PFF called it “one of the most lopsided carry jobs in NFL history.”

Every single week, Dak had to be perfect. Every single drive, he had to score because the defense couldn’t get stops. There was no margin for error. No room to breathe. No help coming. And somehow, Cowboys fans and national media still found ways to blame him?

Ryan Clark Said What Needed to Be Said

“Jerry Jones wasted Dak Prescott’s season,” Clark declared on ESPN. And he’s absolutely right.

You pay a quarterback $240 million. You give him Pro Bowl receivers in CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. You tell him he’s the franchise cornerstone and the face of America’s Team.

Then you field a defense so bad that opposing offenses averaged 28.4 points per game against them. You ask your quarterback to win shootouts every single week. You put the entire burden of success on his shoulders and act surprised when it’s not enough. That’s not building a championship team. That’s wasting a championship quarterback.

The $240M Question Jerry Can’t Ignore

Cowboys fans are done making excuses for ownership. They’re done watching Jerry Jones talk about “going all in” while fielding historically bad defenses. They’re done seeing their franchise quarterback put up elite numbers only to watch the season slip away because the other side of the ball is nonexistent.

The question now is simple: How much longer will Dak Prescott be asked to carry this broken team?

He’s 32 years old. He’s entering the final prime years of his career. And he’s watching the same script play out that destroyed Tony Romo’s legacy — an elite quarterback stuck on a team that refuses to build a complete roster. Romo had elite seasons wasted by bad defenses and inferior offensive lines. Sound familiar?

Now Dak is living the exact same nightmare. And if Jerry Jones doesn’t wake up this offseason, the Cowboys are going to waste another year of their quarterback’s prime asking him to do the impossible.

What Happens Next?

Dak Prescott did his job. He showed up. He balled out. He gave the Cowboys everything he had. The defense didn’t hold up its end. Jerry Jones didn’t build a balanced team. And now Dallas is sitting home watching other teams compete for championships.

Ryan Clark nailed it: This season was wasted. Not by Dak. Not by the offense. But by an ownership group that refuses to invest in the side of the ball that actually matters. So here’s the real question for Jerry Jones as he heads into the offseason:

Are you going to give your $240M quarterback the defense he needs to compete? Or are you going to waste another elite season asking him to win games 42-38 every single week? Because right now, Dak Prescott is doing everything right. And it’s still not enough.

That’s not a quarterback problem. That’s a Jerry Jones problem.