The Dallas Cowboys last week became the first NFL team to clinch a playoff spot, and it may not be long before they wrap up the top overall seed in the NFC and have nothing left to play for. Does that mean they will think about resting their starters?
In his weekly appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas Tuesday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he does not envision Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott or any of the team’s other studs riding the bench down the stretch.
“I see us more business as usual,” Jones said, via Todd Archer of ESPN.com. “What it does allow you to do is when you’ve got guys on the fence with injury to not push them … You don’t want to take the edge off.”
Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett could have some tough decisions to make, but Jones is right. It’s much easier to justify resting veteran quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers if there is nothing at stake, but Prescott is still a rookie. While he may not be playing like it, benching a rookie who has found a rhythm could be dangerous, especially with Dallas already likely to be sitting for a week during a first-round playoff bye.
Prescott is simply on a roll. Heck, the guy is even throwing trash away better than any other player in the NFL. You’d hate to risk an injury by playing him in a meaningless game, but no reps are really meaningless when you’re in your first season as a pro.
