ESPN's Jeremy Fowler Believes Panthers are Best Fit for Dak Prescott

Could Prescott become Carolina's next franchise quarterback?

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler released a list of the Top 50 NFL free agents and their best team fits. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was listed at No. 1, and his "best fit" just so happened to be the Carolina Panthers. Here was Fowler's reasoning behind the potential move:

"In Carolina, Teddy Bridgewater's future is murky after his late-season struggles, and the Panthers have shown they are all-in on the quarterback carousel. They got involved in the Matthew Stafford sweepstakes. If Deshaun Watson becomes available, they will probably do the same. They have $10.9 million in cap space and could create more with cuts and restructures. Moving on from Bridgewater's contract would hit Carolina with $20 million in dead money, but they would also have $22.9 million in salary cap off the books."

Prescott suffered a brutal, season-ending ankle injury in Week 5 of the 2020 season. He is recovering from a compound fracture on top of a dislocated ankle. Because of this, there may be concerns surrounding his health moving forward. This is why the Cowboys have been seemingly hesitant on re-signing him to a long-term deal.

Prescott and the Cowboys' front office were already at odds over his next contract prior to the injury. He was placed on a $31.409 million franchise tag in the 2020 season. If the Cowboys place him on a second franchise tag, then this potential free agency scenario will be irrelevant. However, the Cowboys have yet to make a move.

There are both positive and negative consequences that would come with signing the 27-year-old quarterback.

In the five games he started in 2020, Prescott threw for an average of slightly over 271 yards and four touchdowns per game. He did throw four interceptions during that five-game stretch as well, which is slightly concerning.

To compare, let's look at Matthew Stafford's stats. It is now public knowledge that the Panthers went after the Rams' new quarterback in a potential trade. However, it clearly didn't work out in Carolina's favor. Stafford threw for an average of slightly over 255 yards and slightly under two touchdowns per game in 2020. He also threw four picks in his first five starts this past season. If the Panthers were willing to sacrifice for Stafford, then it wouldn't be a huge surprise if they went after Prescott if he becomes a free agent.

Here are the two biggest risks with going after Prescott:

1. He is coming off of one of the most gruesome injuries in recent memory.

2. He wants a massive payday. 

The Panthers could afford him, but at what cost? There are still other pieces on this team that need to be addressed, including the offensive line, which will directly affect Prescott's performance if the Panthers sign him. This scenario isn't entirely far-fetched; it's very realistic. Scott Fitterer will have to really, really think about all of Carolina's available options before pursuing an expensive quarterback who is coming off of a devastating injury. 

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