They often say the NFL is a “What have you done for me lately” league. When it comes to Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and his rank amongst elite passers, that may never ring more true than right now.
Even in what may have been the best statistical season of his NFL career, Prescott still finds himself vastly underrated by those around the league.
Dak Prescott Ranked 10th-Best QB by Execs, Coaches, Scouts
By now, the Cowboys’ collapse to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card round has been discussed at length. Despite a great regular season that saw Prescott in the running for league MVP, he finds himself at only No. 10 on ESPN’s “Execs, coaches, scouts rank NFL’s top 10 quarterbacks for 2024” list.
“The Dak Dilemma persists: He’s consistently very good but outside of the top tier, despite huge numbers,” the reasoning begins.
“He always does well enough to be in the top 10 but never gets over the hump,” an NFC executive said. “He makes all the throws. He’s playing the position at a high level. But something’s missing. There are a lot of factors in that, from the running game, playcalling, defense, and Dallas hasn’t won in a long while. But certain guys are going to elevate their team late in the game, and Dak doesn’t seem to do that.
“He’s lacking that high-end ceiling, plays the position really well, but not an elite athlete and passer [that] (Patrick) Mahomes and (Josh) Allen are,” an NFL personnel director said. “They need to support him in those big matchups. He’s really good but not quite good enough to elevate the entire team in those matchups.”
It seems across the league, people understand Prescott’s talent level and recognize his skill set as it compares to those around him. However, it seems like his ceiling is being capped by a lack of sustained playoff success.
Why Prescott Should Have Been Ranked Much Higher
Prescott’s ranking within ESPN’s top 10 for the second year in a row makes sense. Even more so, according to Pro Football Network’s Top 100 NFL players list, he comes in at No. 32 overall and the fifth-rated quarterback in the league.
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The respect is earned and deserved, as Prescott finished with 36 touchdown passes and just nine interceptions while leading the league in QB rating outside the pocket (81.8), on third down (88.2), and when pressured (65.4).
However, when looking at his body of work and those who were named ahead of him, you wonder just how much higher Prescott could arguably be on that list.
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You may concede that Prescott doesn’t belong among the top three names, which include Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Josh Allen. However, from there, the questions may begin to be justifiably asked.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson comes in at No. 4. Yet, when looking at the numbers, especially when it comes to Prescott’s perceived Achilles heel, the playoffs, he’s enjoyed more individual success during his career than Jackson has.
In the playoffs, Jackson has completed 57% of his passes compared to Prescott’s 64.5%. Jackson has nine total touchdowns and nine turnovers during that time, compared to Prescott’s 18 and seven, respectively.
Neither has won a Super Bowl or enjoyed much success deep in the playoffs. While Jackson won his second MVP in 2023, just like in this rankings, that could be debated as well.
Other names in front of Prescott on the list were NFC counterparts (Matthew Stafford at No. 5 and Jared Goff at No. 9). Both had fewer TD passes and more interceptions than Prescott. Stafford is a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, so the respect for him is warranted. Still, to put him five slots above Prescott, especially after the season they both had, seemed a bit far-fetched.
Other names that may raise eyebrows are Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert at No. 6 and the Houston Texans’ C.J. Stroud at 7. Herbert is 30-32 in his career, coming off an injury-filled season and a young career in which he’s largely been underachieving compared to his hype.
There’s no question that Stroud is a budding star, but after just one season, it may be a bit premature to put him at No. 7 above guys like Prescott and even Aaron Rodgers, who came in at No. 8.
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However, any way you look at it, the conversation surrounding Prescott — or any quarterback who is under center for the Cowboys, for that matter — is going to be heavily debated.
While it’s clear that Prescott is viewed as a top-10 guy almost universally, we still live in a world where he may very well still be legitimately underrated across the NFL. Perhaps the only way to get over the hump of public perception is to continue his regular-season success well into the playoffs.
