Dak Prescott isn’t the best quarterback in the NFL. Even Dallas Cowboys fans have come to terms with this fact.
Dak Prescott
However, the two-time Pro Bowler is still a top-10 talent under center. The debate among Cowboys fans and fans of other NFL teams is where Prescott ranks exactly.
According to former NFL quarterback Matt Cassel, who writes for the 33rd Team, Prescott is his ninth-best quarterback in the league in his admittedly way-too-early power rankings ahead of the 2023 season.
“What a roller-coaster season for Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys,” Cassel writes. “Prescott played well when he returned from his Week 1 injury, but obviously, they fell short of the NFC Championship again. I’m intrigued to see what happens when Mike McCarthy replaces [Kellen] Moore as the primary play-caller. It could mean big things for Prescott and the entire offense in Dallas.”
While the Cowboys offense finished as the third-best scoring offense behind the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles – the two teams that played in Super Bowl LVII – Prescott had his worst season in regards to avoiding turnovers.
The seventh-year pro chucked 15 interceptions, tied with the Houston Texans’ Davis Mills for the most in the NFL. What made Prescott’s interceptions far worse was his interception percentage, which led the NFL with 3.8 — meaning 3.8% of Prescott’s pass attempts would result in an interception. Second place was second-year QB Justin Fields with 3.5. Habitually turnover-prone Carson Wentz was third with 3.3.
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The Cowboys were understanding with Prescott’s turnovers through the 2022 campaign, and didn’t want to alter his production. Prescott’s 23 touchdowns were the 13th-most in the NFL, but his touchdown percentage was tied with Joe Burrow for the fourth-highest in the NFL at 5.8.
“If you lose that turnover battle, you’re not going to win a lot of football games,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told “GBag Nation” on 105.3 “The Fan” [KRLD-FM Dec. 16, 2022. “No one knows this better than Dak Prescott. Historically he’s been great at protecting the football and I’m sure it’s at the top of his list, it’s at the top of anybody in the organization as we move forward. You got to protect the football.”
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What mitigated the turnovers from Prescott and the offense were the takeaways from the defense. Dallas’ defense generated 33 turnovers in 2022, the most in the league. The Cowboys’ ability to cultivate takeaways was an equalizer to the giveaways on offense.
As far as those ahead of Prescott at the position, Chiefs’ Mahomes was atop the list with the Eagles’ Hurts at No. 2. Burrow from the Cincinnati Bengals was No. 3. The Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen was No. 4 while the Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert rounded out the top-5. The Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence, and the Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers were six, seven, and eight respectively.