FRISCO, Texas — Nick Shook ranked Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott fifth among the NFL’s 32 starters in the Week 1 QB Index, published Wednesday morning on NFL.com.
Prescott opens Tier 2, which runs from No. 5 through No. 13. The four quarterbacks above him form Tier 1: Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford, Patrick Mahomes, and Drake Maye.
Shook made his ranking conditional. Prescott holds the spot if he sustains his level of play and gets the benefit of a Cowboys defense that Shook described as improved on paper.
“It’s about time people put some respect on Dak Prescott’s name,” Shook wrote.
Prescott started all 17 games last season and completed 404 of 600 passes for 4,552 yards with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He led the NFL in completions. The 600 attempts were a career high. He added 177 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns, finished with a 99.5 passer rating, and made his fourth Pro Bowl.
Dallas finished 7-9-1 and missed the playoffs for a second straight season.
George Pickens caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards and 9 touchdowns in his first season in Dallas, made the Pro Bowl, and was named second-team All-Pro. CeeDee Lamb finished with 1,077 receiving yards across 14 games. Prescott was the only quarterback in the league with two 1,000-yard receivers.
Prescott turned 33 in July. He is 83-55-1 as Dallas’ starter in the regular season and 2-5 in the playoffs. He agreed to a four-year, $240 million extension on Sept. 8, 2024, with $231 million guaranteed and an $80 million signing bonus, and the deal runs through 2028.
Dallas Cowboys Rebuilt The Defense Nick Shook Cited
The defense Shook pointed to finished last in the NFL in scoring in 2025 at 30.1 points allowed per game. Dallas gave up more points that season than in any year in franchise history. The offense scored 471 points, an average of 27.7 per game, which ranked seventh.
Dallas fired coordinator Matt Eberflus after one season and hired Christian Parker on Jan. 22. Parker spent the previous two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles as defensive pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach. He is 34 and the youngest defensive coordinator in franchise history. The Cowboys have moved from a 4-3 front to a 3-4 under him.
The personnel turned over with the staff. Dallas traded for Rashan Gary, added Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams to the interior, signed safety Jalen Thompson, and drafted safety Caleb Downs 11th overall. Micah Parsons was traded to the Green Bay Packers days before the 2025 opener.
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said on DLLS Sports last week that a new Prescott contract has not come up inside the building, and that what Prescott asked for this offseason was the defensive rebuild.
“I think Dak wanted to be a, if you’re going to listen to Dak, what he wanted was us to improve this defense and improve the guys on the defensive side of the ball, keep a guy like Quinnen Williams, guys like that,” Jones said.
Jaxson Dart Ranked 23rd Ahead Of The Week 1 Meeting
Shook put New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart 23rd, in a Tier 4 group of second-year passers.
Dart threw for 2,272 yards with 15 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in 14 games as a rookie, and he ran 86 times for 487 yards and 9 touchdowns. He started 12 of those games and went 4-8.
Last season, the two teams divided their matches. Dallas secured a 40-37 victory in overtime at AT&T Stadium during Week 2. Conversely, New York won the final game 34-17 at MetLife Stadium on January 4, ending a nine-game losing streak in their rivalry. In that game, Prescott completed 7 of 11 passes for 70 yards before Dallas replaced him at halftime.
Dallas has opened a season against the Giants 13 times and won 11 of the previous 12.
The Cowboys open at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday. Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
