Despite coming off one of his best statistical seasons, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Dak Prescott, was ranked behind several peers, raising questions about whether the Cowboys quarterback continues to be underappreciated around the league.

CBS Sports' Pete Prisco ranked Prescott at No.43.

Prisco pointed out that Prescott responded well after his injury-hit 2024 season, starting all 17 games in 2025 after being limited to eight games in 2024.

He recorded 30 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions as Dallas' offense carried much of the load because of its defensive issues.

For this, he placed him at 43 in his list of 'Top 100 NFL players of 2026,' when last season the quarterback was ranked at No. 90.

The Cowboys had a disappointing 2025 season where they finished with a 7-9-1 record, mainly due to a poor defense, which ranked at No. 30 overall in the league(30.1 points allowed per game), according to FOX Sports.

Prisco ranked other QBs ahead of Prescott in his article, where the Los Angeles Rams Matthew Stafford stands at No. 2, the Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen at No. 3, followed by the Cincinnati Bengals Joe Burrow at No. 5.

While Prescott is ranked as the sixth-highest quarterback on the list, Adam Schultz of Roundtable Sports argues that he is well-deserved to be positioned above them.

“Does Dak deserve to be above Lamar, Mahomes, and Burrow?" Schultz wrote. "For me, if it is based solely on 2025, absolutely. So why isn't he? Your guess is as good as mine. Prescott had a superb 2025 season and should be a little higher on this list.”

Prescott led the NFL in completions for the 2025 season with 404 of 600 passes completed for 4,552 yards. However, he is often criticized for his lack of playoff success in his 10-year career with the Cowboys, having a 2-5 record.

The Cowboys had their last postseason appearance during the 2023 season against the Green Bay Packers (48-32 loss) and have missed the playoffs for two consecutive seasons.

Though Prisco's ranking is based on the 2025 production, Schultz implies that the lack of conference wins could have also impacted his NFL ranking for the 2026 season.

Meanwhile, the quarterback credits the Cowboys' championship focus for their motivation

Dak Prescott says Championship obsession fuels Cowboys

According to Todd Archer of ESPN, Prescott believes that quarterbacks are judged based on leading the team to success in their last game, and acknowledges that criticism is bound to follow based on the results.

“If you play this position — I’ve said it before — how you’re judged is winning that last game,” Prescott said, via Archer on June 11. “Anything other than that, you’re warranted to get [the criticism] because you’ve not won that game. I think we all feel the same and if I know those guys are like me, it’s an obsession."

Now, as Prescott enters his 11th season with the Cowboys, he will turn that obsession into a deep playoff run for the Cowboys, who haven't played in the NFC Championship game since 1995.

Do you think Prescott will land in the top 10 ranking among the quarterbacks next year? Share your thoughts.

Read more at Dallas Cowboys Community.

Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar