Opinion: Dak Prescott is a top 5 quarterback and the Cowboys need to re-sign him

AP Photo/Ron Jenkins

It seems as though no matter what he does, Dak Prescott still can't get the recognition he deserves.

No matter how well he performs, Prescott's shortcomings (especially in the playoffs) are what is highlighted and what defines his career in the eyes of most fans. Prescott is held to a seemingly impossible standard. If his play isn't something out of a video game, he is criticized to no end. It is hard to find a more unfairly hated player in the National Football League than Dak Prescott.

This hate doesn't just extend to fans of the other 31 NFL teams: Cowboy fans were calling for Prescott's job after losing to Green Bay in the wild card round. Not only is Dak Prescott a quarterback capable of handling the starting job in Dallas, but he is truly an elite QB that ranks in the top 5 at his position.

Before arguing that Prescott is a top 5 quarterback, it's important to establish who the four quarterbacks above Prescott are. Those four men are Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Josh Allen. Any argument that puts Justin Herbert above Prescott needs to take into account the way Herbert and the Chargers blew a 27 point lead to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2022-23 wild card round. Herbert has the potential to surpass Prescott in the future, but has not done so yet. If Prescott is to be defined by his lack of recent playoff success, Herbert should be held to that same standard. A case could be made for Jalen Hurts, however Hurts had a significant drop off from his NFC championship-winning season last year. Hurts played much less disciplined football this year, finishing 3rd in the NFL with 15 interceptions. If Dak Prescott is to be criticized for leading the NFL in interceptions last season, Hurts should be criticized for his undisciplined play this past season as well. CJ Stroud could find himself in the picture very soon, but Stroud hasn't had enough time yet to prove himself as a top 5 quarterback.

Prescott's regular season stats tell enough of a story on their own. Prescott led the league in touchdown passes with 36 this season. If scoring more points than the other team is the point of Football, how would the Quarterback who score more touchdowns than anyone else not be considered elite? Prescott also finished 3rd in passing yards with 4,519 yards on the season. After leading the league in interceptions last season, Prescott was 16th among all QB's with 9 picks. It's also worth noting that Prescott dealt with a significant thumb injury for the beginning of the 2022-23 season, and that likely contributed to his extremely high number of interceptions. Even while battling injuries nonstop, Prescott has found a way to produce at an extremely high level, and those injuries should make his statistical performance look even better.

Prescott's impact on the Cowboys offense also extends off the stat sheet as well. Prescott excells at making something out of nothing. Whether its as a runner or as a scrambling QB escaping the pocket, Prescott usually finds a way to turn broken plays into positive yardage. He is not a dual threat quarterback in the same way Lamar Jackson is: Prescott is much more of a tough runner who puts his body on the line for an extra yard than a speedster like Jackson. Prescott is a fearless competitor who will always put his body on the line for his team, and that toughness has often been the difference between winning and losing for Dallas.

Now we've established that Prescott is an elite Quarterback, but why should he stay in Dallas? Dallas has lots of other players they need to pay first like Micah Parsons and Ceedee Lamb, right? Wrong. Re-signing Dak Prescott should be the Cowboys' number one priority at this time. Don't get me wrong, Parsons and Lamb are both elite players that need to be re-signed ASAP as well. But Dak Prescott is the heart and soul of the Dallas Cowboys. Dak Prescott is the man who brought consistent winning seasons back to the Dallas Cowboys. Dak Prescott IS the Dallas Cowboys. It is extremely rare to find a quarterback of his caliber. Playing QB for America's team is quite the challenge, and Dak Prescott has taken that challenge and ran with it. He has had his shortcomings in the playoffs, but his elite regular season performance gives lots of reason to believe if Dallas can surround him with just a little bit more talent, Prescott can finally put it all together and take Dallas on a deep playoff run. Prescott's 5 TD game in the 2022-23 Wild Card round showed that he is definetly capable of having success in the playoffs. No matter how you look at it, Dak Prescott is an elite Quarterback, and the Cowboys need to keep him around if they want a chance at making a serious run in the playoffs anytime soon.

If I was to give my fellow Cowboy fans and the Dallas Cowboys front office one message about Dak Prescott, it would be the same one Philadelphia 76ers fans have been hearing for quite some time now: trust the process. Even though we haven't won a Super Bowl or made an NFC championship game yet, Dak Prescott has brought us a level of consistent success that not a lot of other Quarterbacks are capable of. Even though they've all ended with heartbreaking playoff losses, three straight 12-5 seasons is quite the accomplishment for any franchise, and it shows that we are still right up there with the very best. In those three 12-5 seasons, Prescott's best year statisticially was this last one, which proves that he is only getting better with age. The Cowboys have come so close in recent years that it is more than reasonable to believe that the Super Bowl caliber quarterback we need is the one we already have.