Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott had an eventful 2022 season, which included a fractured thumb and a career-high 15 interceptions thrown.
Though he endured a few struggles, Prescott is still viewed favorably among players at his position. An ESPN survey of NFL executives, coaches, players and scouts saw Prescott ranked as the ninth-best signal caller in the league. It’s a slight jump from his 2022 ranking at No. 10.
This year’s list is spearheaded by AFC heavyweights like Texas Tech product Patrick Mahomes, Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and Buffalo’s Josh Allen. Prescott was ranked one spot behind Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars and one spot ahead of Rams quarterback and Highland Park product Matthew Stafford.
The highest ranking Prescott received was seventh, while the lowest marker had him unranked. Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts came in at No. 6, while the Giants’ Daniel Jones received some votes.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler described Prescott as a “fringe top-10 passer” due to the fact that he’s a constant presence in the rankings, but doesn’t find his way near the top half. Fowler also pointed out that the Mississippi State product’s scoring prowess and chemistry with CeeDee Lamb continue to stand out.
“He just wasn’t seeing the field well last year,” an NFL personnel evaluator told Fowler. “Wasn’t as decisive as in the past.”
Prescott missed five games last year after suffering the aforementioned thumb injury in a season-opening loss to the Buccaneers. Backup quarterback Cooper Rush helped the offense stay afloat in Prescott’s absence, but the unit took things to another level when the starter returned in late October.
In Rush’s five starts, the offense averaged 312.2 yards and 21.4 points per game. After Prescott returned in Week 7, the unit averaged 384.4 yards and 32.4 points through the rest of the regular season.
As he enters his eighth season with the Cowboys, Prescott will work in an offense that won’t be guided by Kellen Moore. Dallas will run an offensive scheme that features principles of the West Coast offense that Mike McCarthy and Brian Schottenheimer are familiar with. It has been dubbed the “Texas Coast” offense.
Prescott owns a career completion percentage of 66.6%, throwing for 24,943 yards and 166 touchdowns as a professional. He has also thrown 65 interceptions.
“He’s been a top-10 quarterback for a few years now,” an AFC executive told Fowler. “Part of his game that was so great was the ability to run the ball and throw more play-action off that. They didn’t have that as much with weapons on [the] outside. But I’m not down on him. He’s accurate, he can extend and make plays. He’s elite in his decision-making.”
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