Cowboys 'Intrigued' by QB CJ Stroud in Draft: Source; What About Dak Prescott?

The Cowboys are "intrigued'' by NFL Draft prospect C.J. Stroud ... which adds some intrigue to what they might do with Dak Prescott.

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys have a contractual plan with one quarterback, Dak Prescott, and a developmental plan with another - some prospect, at some point, in April's NFL Draft.

But in Dallas' search for either a backup to Prescott or an heir to him, a revelation. ...

The Cowboys find themselves "intrigued'' by Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, an NFL source tells CowboysSI.com.

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

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 (an extension can give Dallas $22 million of room for 2023) 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 (as CeeDee Lamb has said out-loud) 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.

The Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts are likely to take quarterbacks in the first four picks, so Stroud could be gone early. ... and Dallas could have him on its eventual Big Board early as well.

The Cowboys are "intrigued'' by C.J. Stroud ... which adds at least a bit of intrigue to what they might do with Dak Prescott.

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