Dan Orlovsky has been known to share a controversial opinion or two throughout his time as an NFL analyst with ESPN. He delivered another take during Wednesday’s edition of First Take, one on the Dallas Cowboys that stirred some discussion among fans.
Dan Orlovsky Says Cowboys Should ‘Blow the Whole Thing Up’
Orlovsky was teed up by First Take host Molly Qerim for a segment on whether Dallas should continue forward with its current roster construction, or blow things up.
Orlovsky did not pull any punches with his analysis.
.@danorlovsky7 says it's time to move on from Dak and start over in Dallas 👀
"Here's the reality in Dallas. There are going to be Super Bowl expectations without Super Bowl support." pic.twitter.com/69UD67FZii
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 20, 2024
“I said I would have [moved on] the day after they got absolutely smoked at home in the playoff game from Green Bay,” Orlovsky said. “I have said I’d blow the whole thing up and start over again, both at quarterback and at head coach in Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott.”
There have been plenty of negative storylines around the Cowboys for some time now after their surprising Wild Card round playoff exit against the Packers ended an up-and-down 2023 season.
Dallas went 12-5 in the regular season and won the NFC East as the Philadelphia Eagles stumbled to the finish line following a 10-1 start. The Cowboys have since seen several key pieces of last season’s core leave in free agency, however, including running back Tony Pollard, offensive lineman Tyron Smith, and defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins.
Those departures have left Dallas with a relatively depleted roster and little means to replace those players under the salary cap, despite proclamations from owner Jerry Jones that the franchise would go “all-in” this year.
That dichotomy between expectations and the reality of the roster leads to a tough situation for Prescott and McCarthy to navigate this season, with both entering the final years of their current contracts.
“Here’s the reality in Dallas — there are going to be Super Bowl expectations without Super Bowl support,” Orlovsky said. “There’s going to be this expectation to go get results, but they don’t have the support roster-wise to actually go do that.
“That’s why I had said, the Cowboys are content with being good. They’re content with, I guess, a little bit above average or mediocrity.”
There has been talk of an extension with Prescott, and a recent contract restructure opened up flexibility for such a possibility. But as of yet, no deal is done.
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With the ever-rising cost of NFL quarterbacks, Dallas is certainly incentivized to get a deal done sooner rather than later if the team wishes to keep Dak around. The Cowboys could also take the route Orlovsky suggests, however, and look to turn over a new leaf with a change at quarterback.
Time will tell how it all ultimately shakes out.
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