Disrespect of Cowboys' Dak Prescott already starting with woeful QB rankings

The Dak Prescott discourse is always a polarizing one. A large contingent of Dallas Cowboys fans believe he's among the elite quarterbacks in the NFL, while others would drive him to the airport tomorrow if it meant moving on from him.

With Prescott seeking a new contract that will make him the highest-paid quarterback in league history, the discourse has reached a boiling point. The national media at large is guilty of spreading anti-Prescott propaganda, but he undoubtedly deserves his flowers after he carried the Cowboys to a 12-5 finish in spite of an overrated defense and a woeful running game.

Will that finally happen after the best season of his career? The early signs are aren't promising after CBS' Cody Benjamin released his 2024 quarterback power rankings this week.

Cowboys' Dak Prescott disrespected by CBS' quarterback power rankings

Benjamin's list looks as follows:

1. Patrick Mahomes
2. Brock Purdy 
3. Josh Allen 
4. Joe Burrow
5. C.J. Stroud 
6. Lamar Jackson 
7. Jalen Hurts 
8. Dak Prescott 
9. Justin Herbert 
10. Jordan Love 

There are certainly worse QB rankings on the internet, but Purdy checking in second almost invalidates the entire list. For starters, Prescott finished second in MVP voting last season and his numbers were superior to Purdy's virtually across the board.

It's clear that Purdy isn't a game manager or system QB. His playoff resume speaks for itself and he undoubtedly belongs in the top-10, but at No. 2 ahead of Prescott and the rest of the pack not named Patrick Mahomes? Even Purdy's most ardent supporters wouldn't concede he belongs there.

Another issue is Jalen Hurts placing ahead of Prescott. Yes, Hurts has been to a Super Bowl and has just as many playoff wins as Prescott, but did Benjamin watch Hurts last season? He cost the Eagles numerous games by turning the ball over and is a big reason they choked away the division lead. Take away his rushing touchdowns and he had 23 passing TDs to go with 15 interceptions. His 20 turnovers were the fourth-most of any quarterback.

What about C.J. Stroud? He was outstanding as a rookie, but is he already better than Prescott 14 games into his career? Not a chance. We wouldn't be so quick to thrust Lamar Jackson ahead of the 31-year-old, either. Last year, Prescott was no worse than top-three in passing yards (third), passing touchdowns (first), QBR (second), EPA per play (second) and success rate (second).

Purdy and Prescott shouldn't swap places, but Prescott has a strong case to crack the top five ahead of Purdy, Hurts and Stroud. The annual Dak disrespect has already started, which means it's going to be a long offseason.

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