As the Dallas Cowboys gear up for the 2025/26 NFL season, quarterback Dak Prescott finds himself at the center of intense media scrutiny as some critics label him one of the “worst quarterbacks” in the league.
Following a turbulent 2024 campaign marked by injury and inconsistency, some analysts believe he may have overstayed his welcome at the AT&T Stadium and believe Jerry Jones should move on.
The 31-year-old suffered a hamstring tear in Week 9 against the Atlanta Falcons, cutting short a season that had already been marred by uneven play, months after penning a $240m deal in September 2024.
In eight games, he threw eight interceptions and led the Cowboys to a disappointing 3-5 start in the NFC East, although things didn’t exactly get better in his absence as the finished 7-10, missing the postseason.
Mike McCarthy lost his job as the Philadelphia Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl, so there is a bitterness in the air in Arlington and that could be part of the noise surrounding Prescott.
“Put simply, the league’s highest-paid quarterback was one of the worst quarterbacks in football on paper,” Brad Gagnon wrote for Bleacher Report. “And he again failed to stay healthy.
“If Prescott doesn’t separate himself from all of that in 2025, his future as a starter will be jeopardized.”
Why is this criticism unfair?
However, such a severe judgment overlooks his overall body of work. Just one year prior he was almost voted as the NFL MVP after producing 4516 yards and 36 touchdowns, allowing just nine interceptions.
He has spent nearly a decade as the Cowboys‘ starting quarterback and the team has performed consistently in the regular season. Since 2016, they have won the East four times and finished second three times.
They’ve only finished third twice in his tenure, and he was injured in both of those seasons (2020; 2024). So when he’s fit, which is more often than not, Dallas are in good shape.
Thus labelling him as among the “worst” is an exaggeration and he mentally, he has continually demonstrated leadership, accuracy, and the ability to rebound from criticism and struggles.
The 2025/26 NFL season will no doubt be a big year from him, particularly with Arch Manning waiting in the wings in the 2026 NFL Draft, but history has proven he can rise to the occasion.
Ultimately, his starting position is not under immediate threat. Yet, should he fail to perform to Jones‘ expectations, he could just as well become a very valuable trade asset for a prospective rebuild with a league widespread weakness at quarterback.
The Cowboys take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL Kick Off Game on Thursday, September 4 as Prescott and Dallas aim to get their NFC East ambitions back on track with a trip to the defending champions.
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