Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones isn’t walking back his comments on drafting a quarterback in 2023 anytime soon. In fact, Jones seems to have his eye on one intriguing target in the Senior Bowl.
On Thursday, Jerry Jones said the Dallas Cowboys are committed to drafting a quarterback this offseason, sending the first warning shot to Dak Prescott.
Now, Jones has doubled down on his comments and revealed which quarterback prospect impressed him the most in the Senior Bowl: TCU’s Max Duggan.
Duggan, projected by many to be a mid to late-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, is one of the more under-the-radar prospects this year and was the runner-up in 2022 Heisman Trophy voting.
Last season, Duggan passed for 3,698 yards and threw 32 touchdowns against eight interceptions in a Cinderella season for the ages, albeit his final game for the Horned Frogs sticks out like a sore thumb: in the painful championship drubbing by the Georgia Bulldogs, Duggan recorded 152 yards and threw two picks.
Compared to higher-ranked prospects like Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud, Duggan isn’t particularly flashy or athletic, and his accuracy issues could become a problem for any team willing to take a chance on him.
Cowboys already have a favorite quarterback prospect in 2023: TCU’s Max Duggan
Jones has a history of falling head-over-heels with homegrown quarterbacks in the past, nearly selecting Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel back in 2014.
Whether Jones’ comments on drafting a quarterback this year is all smoke and mirrors is hard to say. Since Duggan isn’t considered an early-round selection, the Cowboys wouldn’t risk much by taking him on day two or three, but there’s no guarantee Duggan will amount to anything.
The Cowboys already have one pick-prone quarterback in Dak Prescott, who threw two gut-wrenching interceptions against the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Prescott is entering the third year of his four-year contract in 2023 and at least one other member of the Cowboys’ front office has his back. Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones said Prescott “is going to be our guy for hopefully the next 10 years,” a stark contrast to what Jones said that same day.
Seems like a case of crossed wires on the Cowboys’ end. If Dallas does end up pulling the trigger on their next potential quarterback of the future, Max Duggan will be patiently waiting.