Could Dak ‘Inspiration’ Mean Cowboys Sign QB Alex Smith?

Could Dak's feelings help the ex Washington Football Team QB to be high on Dallas’ backup quarterback list?

When it comes to fellow quarterbacks Dallas Cowboys star Dak Prescott admires, Alex Smith seems to be high on the list.

Could that help the ex Washington Football Team QB to be high on Dallas’ backup quarterback list?

"I have to thank Alex Smith," Prescott said at his recent press conference at The Star to announce his new four/year, $140 million contract. "To see somebody who's already done it and did it actually in worse circumstances, that allowed my mind just to go to straight, 'Hey, I can do this. I'm going to beat this.'"

What Dak is “beating” is a 2020 season-ending ankle injury; sources have told CowboysSI.com that he could be “100-percent” recovered from surgery in April and that he should be “a full participant in off-season workouts.”

READ MORE: Dak Prescott EXCLUSIVE: Dallas Cowboys QB Could Be '100 By April'

Smith’s 2018 life-threatening leg injury and road-to-recovery story - he was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year after helping the WFT to a playoff berth - inspired Prescott on his own rehab.

And now, with the departure of Andy Dalton (to Chicago via a one-year, $10 million deal), it so happens Dak needs a backup.

Smith, meanwhile, isn't only an inspiration to Prescott; he is also still on the free agent market.

Smith, one of a number of possible candidates for the job (along with three backups already on Dallas’ roster), is now entering his 15th season in the NFL. He can bring veteran leadership and his winning experience to the Cowboys locker room. He has over 100 career wins and has led his teams to seven playoffs appearances.

He will be more expensive than incumbent backups Garrett Gilbert, Cooper Rush and Ben DiNucci. But Smith, while surely still seeking a chance to play, won’t be the $20 mil guy he was last year in Washington.

In play could be Dallas coach Mike McCarthy’s history with Smith; when Alex was a rookie No. 1 overall pick for San Francisco, McCarthy was on the Niners staff. Also attractive, as it relates to Dak: Smith's track record includes having mentored quarterbacks such as Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Mahomes.

Alex Smith checks a lot of boxes here, including one mentioned by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who cited Roger Staubach’s “get a leader at QB” advice as a reason for signing Prescott.

We wonder if the same advice might apply to signing Alex Smith.

READ MORE: Cowboys NFL Free Agency Tracker