NFL DRAFT

Broncos curious what clicked with Cowboys QB Prescott in rookie year

Apr 3, 2017, 12:00 AM | Updated: Apr 27, 2017, 11:51 am

The Denver Broncos have reportedly taken an interest in a Dallas Cowboys quarterback, and it’s not Tony Romo.

It’s also not in terms of acquiring another gunslinger. They have two young guns of their own — Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch.

No, the Broncos are reportedly curious as to what clicked for Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott — who captured the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors last season in relief of Romo — and what didn’t with Lynch, according to 104.3 The Fan’s Sandy Clough.

“It has to do with members of the Broncos organizations being very curious as to why and how Dak Prescott succeeded as he did during his rookie year in a way that Paxton Lynch did not here in Denver,” Clough said.

Dallas had been keen on taking Lynch, but Denver jumped ahead of them in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft to take the Memphis prospect.

The Cowboys, Clough said, even favored Oakland Raiders rookie Connor Cook more than Prescott, whom he said fell into Dallas’ lap.

So needless to say it was probably a surprise to the Cowboys organization that Prescott, filling in for a one-time MVP-caliber quarterback in Romo on a team that went 4-12 the previous season, succeeded so highly in his rookie campaign.

“Prescott was forced into the job and played brilliantly,” Clough said. “Why was that?”

In 16 starts, Prescott went 13-3 on the way to a Cowboys playoff berth, completing 67.8 percent of his passes for 3,667 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions.

Comparatively, Lynch played in three games, starting just two, and threw for 497 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception.

Reading between the lines, though, Clough said there’s a feeling as if Denver is asking why Prescott did so well compared to Lynch because “they may be looking for is a chance to draft maybe as late as the third day a quarterback in this year’s draft who might be the equivalent of what Dak Prescott was in 2016.”

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.

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