Dallas Cowboys 'Intrigued' By Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud

Could C.J. Stroud have a star on his helmet in 2023?

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud has been widely projected to land with a handful of teams in the 2023 NFL Draft. 

And for the most part, the most consistent candidates have been the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts. 

However, it appears that another, far more enticing option has potentially emerged in the race to pick stroud.

The Dallas Cowboys.

Yes, you read that right, According to a sourced report from CowboysSI.com's Mike Fisher, America's Team finds themselves "intrigued'' by Stroud.

"I don't know the 'how,''' the source told Fisher. "But (Dallas is) absolutely intrigued by Stroud.''

The Cowboys, of course, have a contractual plan with one quarterback, Dak Prescott.

But, they also have a developmental plan with another - some prospect, at some point, in April's Draft.

Stroud is of course something other than "developmental'' in the sense that he is considered to be among the top two quarterback prospects in this draft, alongside Alabama's Bryce Young - and Dallas has the No. 26 pick in the first round.

That obviously makes the "how'' of Stroud to Dallas challenging.

Another obstacle: The Dak Debate. 

As it stands, the Cowboys' plan is to extend Prescott beyond his present remaining two years on his deal. That plan is about both creating new cap room and about a trust in Prescott, 29, to be a "franchise QB'' for the rest of his career.

COO Stephen Jones recently suggested that Prescott could be Dallas' quarterback "for the next 10 years.'' And there isn't much logic in both extending Prescott and using a first-round pick on his successor. 

Additionally, if the Jones family believes the Cowboys are on the cusp of true Super Bowl contention with Prescott as the centerpiece, shouldn't Dallas be trying to add weapons around him rather than trying to acquire a player who would be his backup?

Jerry Jones insists Dak is "the guy.'' 

Stephen takes it a step beyond, recently saying, “I want to make sure I’m clear about that. Dak’s going to be our guy over and over again just like Troy (Aikman) was, just like (Tony) Romo was, like (Roger) Staubach was.”

And yet ... "intrigued'' is real. ... while "Dak as Aikman/Staubach'' seems hyperbolic.

Stroud (6-3, 215) threw for more than 8,000 yards and 85 touchdowns (to just 12 interceptions) in 2021-22 while becoming Ohio State's first two-time Heisman Trophy finalist.

As we said before, the Texans and Colts are likely to take quarterbacks in the first four picks, so Stroud could, and probably should be gone early. ... But, Dallas could have him on its eventual Big Board early as well.

And as history has told us, when Jerry Jones and Cowboys' top player on the board is in round one, they are not afraid to take a swing, regardless of need.

See the aforementioned Lamb. 

Or, former Ohio State great, Ezekiel Elliott.

So could Stroud be the next blockbuster move for Dallas in Round 1?

They are, at the very least, "intrigued" by the possibility.