Dallas Cowboys fans have to deal with yet another season of stomaching some truly bogus narratives surrounding quarterback Dak Prescott, who remains one of the best quarterbacks in the league despite the fact that he has dealt with a ton of adversity in recent seasons.
The combination of Prescott's down 2024 season, the meteoric rise of Washington Commanders rookie sensation Jayden Daniels, and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts dominating his way to a Super Bowl victory created the perfect confluence of circumstances needed to deflate Prescott's status within the league.
ESPN's ranking of NFL quarterbacks, which is based on opinions from league executives and coaches, has Prescott outside the Top 10 and stuck in the honorable mention category. To make matters even worse, the two rising quarterbacks who will haunt Dallas for years are both riding as hot as they ever have in their respective pro careers.
Daniels rode his historic rookie season to the No. 5 spot in the rankings, while Hurts was able to leverage his Super Bowl prestige to move into the No. 9 hole on this list. Prescott's injury last year seems to have obscured the fact that he is, without question, one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
Cowboys' Dak Prescott outside of Top 10 in ESPN's quarterback rankings
Prescott is fresh off his worst statistical season in quite a while, as he went just 3-5 and threw just 11 touchdowns against eight interceptions before an injury brought an end to his 2024 campaign. However, Cowboys fans know the lack of coaching acumen, wide receiver talent, and running game he had to put up with.
There's nothing necessarily wrong with putting Daniels and Hurts ahead of Prescott after those two faced off in the NFC Championship last season, but the gap between those two and Dak can't be as wide as it is. After all, Daniels could end up being a one-hit wonder.
While there aren't many arguments Cowboys fans can use against Hurts and Daniels at this point in their respective careers, one more vintage Prescott season paired with a slight regression from those two could be enough to get him back in the Top 10 where he belongs.
Unfortunately for Cowboys fans, both Washington and Philadelphia are in line to compete for championships this year, while Dallas is dealing with a very unpopular head coach and some issues around Prescott. Brace for another year of slander from these two fanbases.