ESPN ranks Cowboys’ Dak Prescott top-10 QB, but only barely

Our @BenGrimaldi feels Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was inexplicably ranked as the 10th-best signal caller in a recent ESPN poll.

Few teams in the NFL bring more controversy than the Dallas Cowboys, and few players elicit such a wide range of opinions like their quarterback, Dak Prescott. In the latest installment of position rankings where they spoke to league executives, scouts, and coaches, ESPN has created another talking poin.

In the survey, Prescott was listed as the 10th-best QB in the NFL. Ironically, it’s the same spot the Cowboys’ signal caller came in last year when he was coming off a career-high 15 interceptions, despite playing in just 12 games.

It seems odd that Prescott, coming off what many consider to be his best season ever, ranks in the same place as he did coming off arguably his worst season.

Make it make sense.

Here are the Top 10 QBs according to the survey:

  1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
  2. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
  3. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
  4. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
  5. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
  6. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
  7. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
  8. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
  9. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
  10. Dak Prescott

There’s a lot going on within the top 10 that brings questions.

How can a QB who finished second in MVP voting and led the league in touchdown passes be ranked 10th behind a group of players who didn’t have nearly the same success in 2023? Prescott doesn’t have to be named the top QB in the NFL based solely off last year, but it was clear that he was better than a number of names ahead of him on the list.

Here what survey had to say about Prescott:

It’s hard to buy that Stafford, Herbert, Stroud, Rodgers, or Goff are better than Prescott.

Stafford’s last two seasons have included injury, and he hasn’t thrown for as many scores in those two years as Prescott did last year alone. His interception rate is also almost a full point higher than Prescott’s in the last two seasons. As for his ability to elevate his team, it took being traded to a team with a better coaching staff and a high-quality defense to win in the playoffs. Outside of that one season, Stafford has failed to win a playoff game, going 0-4.

Herbert regressed last year and despite his immense potential, he hasn’t fulfilled that or won a single playoff game yet, leading the Chargers to just one playoff appearance. How does that fit into the criteria and make ranked higher than Prescott?

Stroud had a great rookie year, but how does one season put him above Prescott’s second-place MVP finish last year or entire body of work?

Rodgers essentially didn’t play last year, and the season prior showed the 40-year-old QB was declining. How does that put him higher than Prescott?

Goff had a great year in 2023, but it’s difficult to put him on Prescott’s level. The arc for Goff has fluctuated from year-to-year as Prescott’s gotten better, and despite an up year in 2023, he still wasn’t as good as Prescott.

Meanwhile, Prescott bested all these players in front of him in 2023 with an MVP-like year.

Prescott’s also won the fourth most number of games in the last three years. It’s wild to see Prescott continue to be disrespected.

Even if the league is counting on potential or playoff success, it’s hard to justify Prescott’s place. Herbert hasn’t won a playoff game, Stafford needed one of the league’s best coaching staffs and a stellar defense to finally make a postseason run, Stroud was overwhelmed in the moment against the Ravens and even Jackson has performed poorly in the playoffs but that hasn’t stopped him from being ranked as fourth best.

The list doesn’t seem to have any consistency and Prescott’s place on it is curious.

Prescott was rightfully ranked as the top QB in the NFC East, placing higher than Philadelphia Eagles signal caller Jalen Hurts. After an inconsistent 2023, Hurts was in the honorable mention category. New York Giants QB Daniel Jones and rookie for the Washington Commanders, Jayden Daniels, were not listed.

The other honorable mention QBs were Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers and Jordan Love from the Green Bay Packers, and Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC. The AFC’s honorable mentions included Tua Tagovailoa from the Miami Dolphins and Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars. If the survey included playoff success, why wasn’t Purdy higher? If they voted on potential, why didn’t Love place among the Top 10 after how he finished last season?

There doesn’t appear to be any consistency in the rankings from year-to-year, and the list is extremely questionable. Prescott is among the top quarterbacks in the NFL and should be placed higher than 10th on the list.

In the end, it doesn’t matter, the list is meaningless, but it will understandably rub Cowboys Nation the wrong way.

The only things that can change minds is for Prescott to lead the Cowboys to more postseason success. That’s all that should matter anyway.

Still, Prescott’s place doesn’t sit well.

You can chat with or follow Ben on twitter @BenGrimaldi