Dallas City News

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott finished second in MVP voting last year, yet he ranks tenth among all NFL quarterbacks. The math on that doesn’t seem to add up.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has been publishing daily rankings of positions based on a survey of NFL executives, scouts, and coaches across the league. On Monday, Fowler released the complete list of QBs, which included some honorable mentions.

Here’s the full explanation of Prescott’s ranking at No. 10:

10. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

Highest ranking: 7 | Lowest ranking: Out of top 10

Age: 30 | Last year’s ranking: 10

The Dak Dilemma persists: He’s consistently very good but outside of the top tier, despite huge numbers.

For the second consecutive year, Prescott appeared on the majority of ballots — 63%, a slight improvement from the year before. But he’s the only quarterback in the top 10 without a single top-six vote.

His 2023 production suggested a bigger jump was coming. Prescott became the first Cowboys quarterback since Roger Staubach in 1973 to lead the NFL in touchdown passes (36). He promised he would limit interceptions after throwing 15 of them in 2022, and he did just that with a 1.5% interception rate, the fourth-lowest in the NFL. His QBRs outside the pocket (81.8), on third down (88.2) and when pressured (65.4) all led the league.

He did all of this while transitioning from Kellen Moore to Mike McCarthy as the primary playcaller.

The Cowboys are asking Prescott to lift an offense that lost Tony Pollard, Tyron Smith, Tyler Biadasz and Michael Gallup to free agency or roster cuts. Dallas spent judiciously to replace them this offseason, in part to brace for Prescott’s $55.45 million cap hit on the final year of his contract.

The lack of success in the playoffs has ultimately hurt Prescott and what personnel around the NFL think of him among his peers. The Cowboys had another early, ugly playoff loss against seventh-seeded Green Bay. Blame can be shared among everyone in Dallas, but Prescott had a poor performance to start the playoff game when it counted most.

Prescott could have all the regular-season success in the world, but not being able to hit another gear in the postseason seemed to matter most to the individuals taking the survey.

“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] Mahomes and 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.”

If playoff success, along with regular-season success, is really what matters, there are a few holes in the logic behind other signal callers being ranked higher than Prescott.

Justin Herbert finished sixth, Aaron Rodgers finished eighth, and Jared Goff finished ninth. Prescott has a solid argument to be above any of the three, with all criteria being considered.

Prescott may not have as much talent and upside as Herbert, but his career record as a starter with the Los Angeles Chargers is 30-32. Rodgers, at 40 years old, is coming off a torn Achilles while Prescott was able to make every start of the season in 2023.

Prescott and Goff placing within a spot of each other makes too much sense. They have been tied at the hip since 2016, coming from the same draft class. However, when comparing all the quarterbacks from that rookie class, Prescott is above the rest with 73 wins despite missing almost the entire 2020 season and five games in 2022. Goff is behind him at No. 2 with 66.

The only statistical categories in which Goff surpasses Prescott are passing yards, yards per game, and sacks (taking less than Dak). That’s it.

Prescott is set to enter a crucial season that could decide his future in Dallas and how he is perceived around the NFL. If this season is his last chance with the current Cowboys roster, Prescott may have to bear the burden of carrying the franchise to prove to the front office and the league that he’s worth the $60 million-a-year price tag.

If he finds a way to achieve all of that and then some, his ranking could very well be elevated this time next year.