Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott received a notable vote of confidence ahead of the 2026 season, but the praise quickly drew a strong response from an NFL broadcaster, igniting a debate over the Cowboys QB's ranking.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler ranked Prescott at No. 6 among the top 10 QBs for the 2026 season. However, NFL Broadcaster and commentator Skip Bayless wasn't convinced Prescott belonged at the sixth spot.

“Dak achieves his highest rating in the annual ESPN poll - 6th!” Skip Bayless wrote on X. “Progression commander! I still wonder why he played so poorly in home MNF loss to Arizona and home SNF loss to Minnesota. But, great, here we go, Dak. At least turn your 2-5 playoff record into 4-6!”

Bayless took a dig at Prescott's losses in home games: the Monday Night Football game against the Arizona Cardinals (27-17) and the Sunday Night Football game against the Minnesota Vikings (34-26) in the 2025 season.

Bayless took it further by pointing to Prescott's 2-5 playoff record over his 10-year career, predicting he would add two playoff wins and one loss to finish with a 4-6 postseason record.

Though Prescott had one of his best years in the league last year, leading the league in completions with 404 and throwing for 4,552 yards, he is often criticized for his lack of playoff success.

The Cowboys last appeared in the playoffs in 2023, when they suffered a 48-32 loss to the Green Bay Packers, and have since missed the postseason in the last two seasons.

However, Bayless' criticism stood in sharp contrast to ESPN's latest evaluation of the four-time Pro Bowler. The annual QB rankings by ESPN recognized the franchise signal-caller for his elite passing production, as he heads into his 11th season with the Cowboys.

ESPN’s latest rankings reinforce Dak Prescott’s standing among NFL quarterbacks

After going unranked in ESPN's previous QB rankings, Dak Prescott climbed to No. 6 in Jeremy Fowler's ranking for the 2026 season.

"Prescott was a fixture in the voting, appearing on nearly 75% of ballots with a healthy number of top-five votes," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote. "In fact, a gulf existed between him and the seventh spot on the list. This is long overdue for Prescott, who has mostly been a fringe top-10 QB on these lists."

Fowler evaluated Prescott based on his production over the past four seasons and noted that Prescott's consistent 4,000-yard, 30-touchdown seasons tied him at sixth all-time, behind the greats like Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, and Philip Rivers.

Despite the outside criticism, ESPN's rankings reinforce that Prescott's consistent production has kept him among the league's elite QBs.

Does Dak Prescott truly belong at No. 6 on ESPN's list, or is Skip Bayless right to question his elite status until he delivers in the postseason? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore