FRISCO, Texas — Dak Prescott has four seasons with more than 4,000 passing yards and at least 30 touchdown passes. Only Tony Romo has as many in Dallas Cowboys history, according to ESPN Research, which published the note Sunday in the network’s 2026 NFL team previews.
Prescott threw for 4,552 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2025 with 10 interceptions. He started all 17 games. He completed 67.3% of his passes, and on the ground he had 177 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Dallas went 7-9-1.
ESPN Research also noted that Patrick Mahomes and Jared Goff are the only other quarterbacks with four such seasons since Prescott came into the league in 2016.
Todd Archer Lists The Dallas Cowboys Offense As The Biggest Strength
Todd Archer covers the Cowboys for ESPN and wrote the Dallas section of the preview. He named the offense the biggest strength on the roster and started with Prescott. Archer wrote that Dallas can hit big pass plays to CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens or run the ball with Javonte Williams. When a defense takes those away, he wrote, the offense can move the ball in shorter pieces.
Archer wrote that the second year of the offense under Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer should be further along than the first was.
“Health is paramount, especially with Prescott, now 33,” Archer wrote.
Prescott turned 33 on July 29, the day he reported to camp in Oxnard, California. He told reporters there that he was not going to shy away from a Super Bowl goal and asked to be held to that standard. Dallas finished second in the league in yards and seventh in points last season.
“A lot of times you have a lot of [personnel] turnover. We didn’t have much turnover at all on our offensive side. We added some guys and some younger guys are going to have to step up,” Prescott said, per ESPN. “So maybe we seasoned the group a little bit and guys are getting older, but we were close to some historic things last year. And when you have the guys [we have], why can’t we be? And just yet, let’s be the greatest offense there is.
“You’ve heard, ‘The Greatest Show on Turf,’ and all the other different nicknames,” Prescott continued. “Each and every one of them loved it or taken pride in it. And that’s as cool as anything, is to watch them take pride in and watch them talk about it and say it to each other. It’s the way that we’ve been practicing. We’re just going to keep pushing each other.”
Lamb and Pickens combined for 2,506 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns last season, per the team’s website. Pickens had 93 catches for 1,429 yards and 9 touchdowns of that, and he is playing 2026 on a $27.3 million franchise tag.
The Cowboys averaged 391.9 yards a game in 2025.
Prescott has thrown for 35,989 yards and 243 touchdowns in 10 seasons. He has run for 2,115 yards and 31 touchdowns. His record as the starter is 83-55-1 in the regular season and 2-5 in the playoffs.
ESPN’s Football Power Index gives Dallas a 51.9% chance of making the playoffs. It puts the Cowboys at 33.9% to win the NFC East and projects 9.2 wins. Dallas plays the fourth-hardest schedule in the league by the model’s measure, and the Cowboys ranked 11th of 32 teams in the preview.
Dak Prescott Opens The Season Against The New York Giants
Dallas drafted Prescott in the fourth round in 2016, 135th overall. He is entering his 11th season with the Cowboys.
The opener is Sunday night at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC. Dallas and the New York Giants have played 127 times. John Harbaugh is coaching the Giants after 18 seasons in Baltimore, and Sunday is his first home game.
Schottenheimer replaced his defensive staff in January. Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker was hired Jan. 22 and has never called a defense before. Last season the Cowboys allowed more points than any team in the league.
