The Dallas Cowboys made Dak Prescott their franchise quarterback in 2021 with a four-year, $160 million deal.
Through the first six years of his career, Prescott has been the epitome of solid, reliable and consistent.
The Cowboys need him to be elite and to uplift the team.
“I feel like we have one of the best people at that position, and one of the best people that a team has in the NFL,’‘ Jerry Jones said. “He can do that. I have no qualms about Dak. Dak is going to go as good as anybody.”
We know how the Cowboys feel.
Where does Prescott stand among the league’s top quarterbacks?
Star-Telegram’s ranking of the NFL’s 32 quarterbacks
— 1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs: Mahomes is still magical. League MVP. Super Bowl MVP. Just 26. The Sandlot King.
— 2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: At 6-5, 240 with athleticism, physicality and a rocket arm. Allen is the prototype. Just needs a Super Bowl.
— 3. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers: A four-time MVP coming off back-to-back MVPs at age 38. Are there any questions?
— 4. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 7 Rings, the league’s all-time greatest and still Top 5 at 45. Still tampering, too.
— 5. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: We have seen the future. Joe Cool led the Bengals to the Super Bowl.
— 6. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: Everybody has a problem with Jackson, except the Ravens. MVP. Weapon.
— 7. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: His skills are on par with Allen and he has a golden arm. It’s only a matter of time.
— 8. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: Prescott is not perfect in any one category but he has it all. The best leader.
— 9. Matt Stafford, Los Angeles Rams: After years of putting up hollow stats in Detroit, Stafford got ring legitimacy with the Rams.
— 10. Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos: Wilson gets a new start in Denver. The Let Russ Cook era didn’t lead to any titles in Seattle.
— 11. DeShaun Watson, Cleveland Browns: Haven’t seen Watson since 2020. But he was a Top 5 QB the last time he played.
— 12. Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders: Carr’s stats compare very favorably to Prescott. He just turns it over too much.
— 13. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals: Murray can wow with the best of them. His leadership and competitiveness remain a concern.
— 14. Matt Ryan, Indianapolis Colts: Former league MVP is looking to revive his career with the Colts. Any Matty Ice left?
— 15. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings: Cousins is in the contract Hall of Fame. As a QB, he is in the Hall of Very Good.
— 16. Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans: Tannehill is the Kirk Cousins of Tennessee. But no team wins because of him.
— 17. Jameis Winston, New Orleans Saints: Former No. 1 overall pick who is ready to revive his career in the Big Easy.
— 18. Mac Jones, New England Patriots: He was born to follow Brady in New England. He certainly looks the part.
— 19. Baker Mayfield, Carolina Panthers: Things didn’t turn out well in Cleveland. But the former No. 1 pick is still talented and is now healthy.
— 20. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars: Lawrence has all the tools and looks like a natural. He just needs to finally put it together.
— 21. Carson Wentz, Washington Commanders: Wentz is on his third team. The former No. 2 overall QB is officially a bridge QB at this point.
— 22. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: Hurts is the biggest concern on a Eagles team loaded on defense and at receiver.
— 23. Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers believe Lance has the potential to be special. Will he be better than Garoppolo in first year?
— 24. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins: “Tank for Tua” has turned into “Are we sure about Tua?” Miami will find out in 2022. He has the weapons.
— 25. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears: Fields has the arm and athleticism to be a special talent. The Bears have no talent around him.
— 26. Marcus Mariota, Atlanta Falcons: Mariotta is holding the position until Desmond Ritter is ready. But Mariotta can still make plays.
— 27. Davis Mills, Houston Texans: Mills set a Texans rookie record with 16 TDs in 2021. He has potential.
— 28. Daniel Jones, New York Giants: The Giants still don’t know what they have in the 2018 first-round pick. It’s a middling career at best.
— 29. Zach Wilson, New York Jets: With 9 TDs and 11 interceptions, Wilson made more plays and headlines off the field than on the field during his rookie season.
— 30. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions: The former No. 1 overall pick is the epitome of the stop-gap QB. Except there is no QB of the future in Detroit.
— 31. Mitchell Trubisky, Pittsburgh Steelers: Pittsburgh has turned to a failed first-round pick as the heir to Big Ben’s throne.
— 32. Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks: Seattle went from having one of the league’s most reliable quarterback situations to the worst.
