If No Dak Deal, Cowboys Must Draft QB Now - Ex NFL GM

"They absolutely have to draft Dak's replacement,'' former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum says, "If they don't get a long-term deal done.''

FRISCO - The Dak Prescott contract decision is mostly about facts that have yet to be finalized. But that doesn't preclude the football world from offering Dak Prescott contract opinions - including one that's all about using this April's NFL Draft to find his replacement.

"They absolutely have to draft Dak's replacement,'' former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum says, "If they don't get a long-term deal done.''

Tannenbaum's logic, as detailed to "G-Bag Nation'' on 105.3 The Fan?

Without a new contract, "he's walking out the door at the end of this year. Because if you tag him at $52 or $53 million (next season), that's prohibitive. So, they absolutely have to know that he's going to (leave) in a year.

"Because of that, you really want (to draft) a guy this year and develop him, so that when Dak leaves you're ready to go."

READ MORE: Dak & Cowboys Contract Status: ‘Good Talks,’ ‘Progress’ & ‘No Animosity’

The Cowboys continue to talk with agent Todd France about a new deal for Prescott, with both sides understanding that the March 9 deadline to put the franchise tag on him (with negotiations open to continue until July 15) looms large.

But if March 9 comes and goes? In Tannenbaum's view, Dallas might just have two QBs on the training camp roster in July.

"I think we're really on the precipice of this getting done, or it's really over,'' he says. "Because, in my opinion, if they don't get something done by March 9, then I just don't see a path to getting something done.''

READ MORE: Source - Cowboys Plan Dak Prescott-Related Cap Move With Tank

There are also major cap concerns that are tied to trying to getting something done before the tag deadline. And then there are challenges to even drafting Dak's heir, as the Cowboys presently hold the No. 10 pick in this draft, and cannot be sure that such a talent will be available to them. Oh, and if they're able to secure such a player, the locker-room chemistry issue comes into play, with Prescott and his replacement both on the roster ...

Unless Dallas then manages to trade Prescott, which presents another huge challenge.

All of which is why - whether one agrees with Tannenbaum's draft-Dak's-replacement opinion - these next few days leading to March 9 are so key.

"If I'm Dallas,'' Tannenbaum says, "the best time to get that deal done is before free agency."

Actually, for Dallas, the best time to get a long-term contract done with Dak Prescott is ... yesterday. But the clock ticks on ...

CONTINUE READING: Cowboys: 'Hurry Up' And Sign Dak, Says Aikman