Dak Prescott smiled without saying a word when a reporter wondered aloud why the star quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys didn't hold out for a new contract Womens Michael Gallup Jersey , a strategy that just led to a $90 million extension for backfield mate Ezekiel Elliott.The 2016 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year is going into the final season of his rookie deal — a year ahead of Elliott — while trailing only New England's Tom Brady in victories since entering the league and coming off his first playoff win.Yet Prescott has never shown even a slight interest in staying away to try to get a contract that will be worth more than twice as much as Elliott's annually, assuming the two-time Pro Bowler and the Cowboys find that common ground.As with Elliott, the deal figures to get done. In the meantime, Prescott wants to push the Cowboys past the divisional round of the playoffs before they reach the 25th anniversary of their previous trip to the NFC championship game and beyond.There's one year left for that breakthrough since Dallas won the last of a proud franchise's five Super Bowl titles during the 1995 season. Prescott's pursuit starts Sunday with the opener at home against the New York Giants."I mean, obviously I want to see it done," Prescott said of a contract that will be the richest in franchise history when it happens. "At this point, my focus is all on the Giants, the Giants defense, what this team needs to do to win the game and then next week we'll go to the next opponent."I don't want to blur my mind or distract myself any bit with thinking about those talks or thinking about what's going on when I've got enough on my plate to handle."That doesn't mean the deal can't get done during the season. It just means Prescott probably won't be as involved in the talks as he was over the summer. The 26-year-old has left little doubt that he will be the face of the franchise, perhaps for another 10 years.Prescott accomplished that by showing his leadership skills even before 10-year starter Tony Romo was injured in a preseason game a few months after the Cowboys drafted Prescott in the fourth round, having failed in their pursuit of two other QBs earlier in the 2016 draft.When Romo went down with another back injury at Seattle, Prescott came off the bench and converted a third-and-long with a completion on his first play. Jason Witten, who came out of retirement this year for what will be a club-record 16th season, still remembers that play."Amidst all the contract stuff, the guy comes to work ready," said Witten, who watched his best friend in Romo lose his job when Prescott led the Cowboys to a franchise-record 11 straight wins and the top seed in the NFC before a divisional loss to Green Bay in 2016."He's ready every single day. Ask any guy in the locker room, they'll run through a wall for him. It's been a true joy for me at this point in my career to have a young teammate come in at that position and to see him take each step."Prescott and Elliott formed a rare pair in leading an offense from the first snap of their first season together. They missed Witten last year, particularly inside the 20-yard line. Receiver Amari Cooper was a huge boost in a midseason trade.Now the Cowboys have added one of Aaron Rodgers' favorite targets in Green Bay, Randall Cobb, as the slot receiver with Cole Beasley's departure to Buffalo in free agency. Michael Gallup, who was solid as a rookie Demarcus Lawrence Jersey , appears poised for a big improvement in his second year.Center Travis Frederick returns after missing last season with a nerve disorder, re-solidifying an offensive line that has been among the best in the league but slipped last year. Prescott was sacked 56 times, second-most in the NFL.Three years after starting against the Giants when many figured the Cowboys were on their way to another lost season without an injured Romo, Prescott is trying to meet lofty expectations instead of surpass modest ones.The Cowboys lost that game by a point. They didn't lose again for three months."It's not even comparable to the last three years," Prescott said of his confidence going into his fourth season. "Just from a knowledge standpoint, how comfortable I am in my game. So to compare my confidence right now to any of the three years isn't fair." The Dallas Cowboys have selected a defensive end in each of the last five drafts. Will they get another one this year? Here are six potential candidates and when the Cowboys should target them in the 2019 NFL Draft."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Dallas Cowboys News2019 NFL Draft: Six defensive prospects for the Cowboys and when they should target them New,49commentsThe Cowboys are sitting in good shape at defensive end, but that doesn’t mean they won’t take one in the upcoming draft.CDTShareTweetShareShare2019 NFL Draft: Six defensive prospects for the Cowboys and when they should target them Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY SportsThe Dallas Cowboys recently signed their star pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence to a lucrative five-year deal. The team also traded for veteran edge rusher Robert Quinn. On top of all that, the team has several young pass rusher prospects like Randy Gregory, Taco Charlton, and Dorance Armstrong on their roster that they are hoping will be a part of their future. On the surface, it doesn’t appear as if the Cowboys need a defensive end, but things can change in a hurry. Regardless of the condition of the Cowboys defensive end position group, the team has taken an edge rusher in each of the last five drafts. In the spirit of collecting talent, defensive ends are very much on the table in the upcoming draft, but which players are the Cowboys likely to show interest in? And what rounds are they likely to be drafted? Here are six defensive ends that could hear their name called when the Cowboys are on the clock.SECOND ROUNDJaylon Ferguson, Louisiana TechYou’d think that college football’s all-time sack leader would generate a lot more buzz entering the draft, but despite his 45 career sacks Ferguson just isn’t the prototype edge rusher most teams are looking for. He doesn’t have the build as he’s a little on the thick side, his bend is terrible, and he just doesn’t offer much athleticism. He gets off the snap okay, but isn’t twitched up like Rod Marinelli prefers. Despite all that, the Louisiana Tech defensive end has four years of outstanding production and it’s hard to argue with results. Steven Erler-USA TODAY SportsWhile the physical traits are lacking Womens Dak Prescott Jersey , Ferguson makes up for it with the mental ones. He relies on his instincts and lateral quickness to get past blockers. He’s got violent hands and uses them extremely well. His long arms and power to push-pull and snatch allows him to have his way with blockers. He’s very perceptive as to what the offensive linemen give him and knows how to attack their weaknesses. Ferguson is very solid against the run as he sticks with his assignments and uses his long arms to bring down ball carriers.Ferguson doesn’t have the high ceiling of an elite edge rusher, but possesses the ability to be a solid fixture along the defensive line at the NFL level. Would that be enough to justify using the 58th overall pick on him?THIRD ROUNDZach Allen, Boston CollegeThe Eagles defensive linemen is another trench warrior that could fall through the cracks of the draft. He doesn’t have the explosiveness you’d expect from most edge rushers, nor does he have the play strength to anchor down and defend interior gaps. His athleticism is good, but not great and he doesn’t offer great pass rushing appeal, only recording 16.5 sacks his entire four-year college career. That’s one less than Ferguson had last season alone.But with Allen, you’re not getting a sack master; you’re getting a high energy football player who has the propensity to make impact plays. In 2017, he racked up an impressive 100 total tackles. Allen is highly instinctive and knows how to work around blockers. He’s just a guy that finds a way to make plays, whether it’s batting down passes or blocking kicks. The amount of hustle he displays makes him a consistent finisher. While he doesn’t look like he can be great at any one thing, he possesses a wide range of attributes that allows him to play both inside and out. Something tells me he’ll find his niche in the NFL and that could lead to one heck of a defensive linemen.Jachai Polite, FloridaThe Florida star edge rusher is an interesting prospect. On tape, he’s a late first-round talent even with such a deep class of pass rushers. But upstairs, he brings with him all kinds of concerns that will inevitably hurt his draft stock. Where he falls will depend on just how badly his off field indiscretions play with NFL teams.Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY SportsPolite has all the athletic traits you look for in an edge rusher. He can bend, he’s got excellent get-off, and he’s got an assortment of pass rushing moves. He’s got great burst to get after his opponent and displays excellent chase-down speed. While he has no weaknesses as a pass rusher, he offers up very little against the run, which takes him out of the running as a three-down player. The biggest concern with Polite is his character. Buzz about bad combine interviews and unimpressive workouts have generated some red flags. After the enigma of David Irving that saw an amazing talent fall to the wayside because of his immaturity, you’d have to believe it would take a considerable slide before the Cowboys would be willing to roll the dice with Polite.L.J. Collier, Texas ChristianTexas Christian’s L.J. Collier is another prospect that doesn’t wow anyone athletically, but constantly shows up on tape. His frame and lack of pass-rushing prowess makes him a questionable piece on the edge and at the same time he doesn’t have the size to withstand the every-play pounding of the inside. So, where does that leave Collier exactly?Collier is a tough guy who plays with a lot of aggression. He’s a clever pass rusher who always has a plan off attack and can sniff out weakness of his opponents. He is slow off the snap, but has a sudden burst that can get his blockers off balance Demarcus Lawrence Jersey White , allowing him to bull rush right through them. Collier has active hands and strikes well, but his placement isn’t always where it needs to be. While he had a strong senior year, he only has one full season as a starter, but he could be on the rise. He had a good showing at the senior bowl and with the right coaching, he could offer up some nice upside.FOURTH ROUNDMaxx Crosby, Eastern MichiganLast year, the Cowboys were extremely excited when Dorance Armstrong was available in the fourth round as he was a nice development project they could put in their back pocket. A similar thing could happen this year if Eastern Michigan’s Maxx Crosby is still on the board when the team picks in Day 3.Crosby is an athletic specimen, finishing in the 90th percentile in every single one of the running and jumping categories at the combine. He’s a finesse pass rusher who has plenty of tape showing him winning. He’s got long strides to sneak around the edge and does a great job swiping at blockers. Crosby doesn’t have very good bend and often time plays too upright, allowing him to lose the leverage battle. His tackling leaves something to be desired as he has small hands without much strength to wrap up his opponents. It’s hard not lot like the potential he brings, but he’s going to need to add some bulk and strength to be an effective player in the NFL.FIFTH ROUNDJohn Cominsky, CharlestonIn continuing with the theme of non-prototypical defensive ends, Cominsky is one of those conundrums that begs the question... where will he fit in the NFL? He’s not an elite pass-rusher, he plays too upright, and he hasn’t figured out how to use the tools he has to be a consistent presence on the defensive line. Despite all of that, he shows a lot of positive things on tape that make him an interesting late-round option.Cominsky doesn’t have great get-off, but he’s relentless. The guy does everything he can to max out his potential. He put on over 70 pounds during his college tenure to get to 285. He’s an aggressive player and can make an impact in run support. Coming from a small school, his body of work comes from inferior competition, so it’s a little tougher to gauge just how good he is. Cominsky is an appealing development project the Cowboys should be able to land on Day 3 and they would have plenty of time to figure out where he would be the best feet.
