From the moment Dak Prescott took over as QB1 of the Dallas Cowboys as a rookie back in 2016, he's had more than his fair share of haters. But as everyone knows, that's simply what comes with playing the most important position in football for the most polarizing football team on the planet.
Has Prescott been the most perfect quarterback over these last nine years? Certainly not. But no matter how you feel about the guy, there's no getting around the fact that he's got ridiculous talent. And when he's on, Dak is undoubtedly one of the top-tier QBs in the NFL. You notice I didn't use the word "arguably" in that sentence.
Most people tend to forget that he finished second in the NFL MVP voting just two years ago, likely because of the Cowboys' early exit in the playoffs. Not his fault, by the way, as he didn't give up the 48 points the Packers scored that night.
As far as the first couple of weeks of this young 2025 season are concerned, the 10th-year veteran has looked fantastic. And a guy who knows a little something about playing quarterback for America's Team thinks so as well, that being none other than Troy Aikman. The three-time Super Bowl champion was asked his thoughts on Prescott's play thus far in a recent interview on 96.7 The Ticket, and he was fired up about what he's seen.
Cowboys legend Troy Aikman is loving what he's seeing from Dak Prescott
"I have been impressed with Dak, certainly Week 1 and what he was able to do, and then this last game. He’s always had good energy. He’s always had good body language and all that on the field. But in addition to just how well he’s played, I just sense that there’s a confidence about him in the way in which he’s playing that I don’t want to say I haven’t seen it before, but I just feel like he’s really dialed in and feeling good about where this offense is going, the way that it’s playing, and the way he’s playing."
"And usually, to have that, you feel really good about the plays that are coming in and who’s calling them. It just seems to be a pretty good fit right now for Dak, and what I’ve seen just as a casual observer."
Aikman is far from a "casual observer," of course, but we're picking up what he's putting down, and the rest of the league should as well.
No, Prescott hasn't put up the gaudy numbers that some others have over these first two weeks. But he put the Cowboys in position to take down the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1, and had it not been for a couple of untimely drops from CeeDee Lamb, Dallas likely wins that game.
And he certainly showed out when it mattered most in the Cowboys' wild Week 2 win over the New York Giants, completing 15 of 20 passes with a touchdown and tallying 187 total yards in the fourth quarter and overtime, the last of those yards coming on a 14-yard run in the waning seconds of the extra frame to set up Brandon Aubrey's game-winning field goal.
Again, Dak hasn't put up monster numbers just yet, which could change Sunday against a Chicago Bears team that just gave up 52 points, but he's completed 68.6% of his passes for 549 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. And for those who may be unaware, his 89.9 overall PFF grade ranks second among all quarterbacks, trailing only the Los Angeles Rams' Matthew Stafford (91.5). Yeah, you read that right.
Aikman is spot-on with his assessment of what we've seen from Prescott thus far, and if the Dallas defense can shape up (if only that unit had some sort of generational talent like Micah Parsons), this Cowboys team could be very dangerous, given how Dak is leading the offense.