In what QB Tier does Dak Prescott belong?

In the NFL today, how much money a quarterback makes does not translate into on the field performance. The best QB’s in the league often do not rank among the highest paid. For example, just because he is likely to earn as much as $30 million per season, that does not make Dak Prescott elite. That dollar figure is determined by what the market price demands and if the Dallas Cowboys wish to secure their franchise QB for the foreseeable future, they will have to pay that amount. When it comes to evaluating QB’s, the word elite is thrown about too easily in my humble opinion. There are only really a handful of elite QB’s in the NFL and depending on the criteria, it is often debated which QB’s qualify for that designation. I am a huge fan of Dak Prescott but even I cannot justifiably argue that he deserves to make that list. So where exactly does Dak rank compared to his peers around the league? Displayed above is how I would classify the current crop of QB’s in the NFL and the following is my rationale.

ELITE

(Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees) As I mentioned earlier, only a few QB’s qualify to be considered elite in my opinion. This is a select group consisting of three sure fire, first ballot hall of famers. Each one has broken multiple passing records, amassed individual awards & honours, and each has won at least one Super Bowl Championship. Super Bowl championships are not mandatory since it is a team accomplishment (I would have classified Dan Marino as elite during his career), but it certainly builds a stronger case. In addition to these criteria, all of these QB’s have maintained a certain level of excellence over a long period of time in the NFL. Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees stand alone atop the QB hierarchy.

QUASI-ELITE

(Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes, Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan, Ben Roethlisberger, Cam Newton) The next group of QB’s are all on the fringe of being elite but are held back by one thing or another. Some of them, such as Andrew Luck, have all the tools and also the ability to take over games on their own but have been held back by injuries. Others, like Patrick Mahomes, possess other worldly talent however in his case only has one year of production under his belt. The rest are lacking in some small measure. Matt Ryan is a former league MVP but he is also blessed with a team loaded with weapons on offense. Rivers is a surgeon and a true leader of men but he has never been able to win the big game. Cam Newton was never able to thrive as a pocket passer and although “Big Ben” was won a couple of Super Bowls, he has always performed just below MVP level. Of all of the guys in this group, Russell Wilson may have the strongest case to be promoted.

FRANCHISE QB TIER 1

(Matthew Stafford, Baker Mayfield, Carson Wentz, Dak Prescott, Deshaun Watson, Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, Derek Carr) The next group of QB’s are those that cannot be considered elite but are worthy of being starting QB’s for a decade or more. Some of them have potential to become elite but are far too young and it is far to early to classify them as such. This is the group that I include Dak Prescott among. Dak has had an amazing career to date and if he is able to continue to develop and improve in the years to come he is more than capable of leading his team to a championship. The same is true for several other young QB’s that were drafted a lot earlier because of their pure talent such as Carson Wentz, Baker Mayfield, and Deshaun Watson. Dak may not have measured up to those guys in terms of arm talent coming out of college but he has been so successful in his young career because of the intangible qualities he possesses. It is those qualities that often lead to long-term success in any sport. Also included in this group are veteran QB’s who I feel may never reach elite status but are above average quality starters in the NFL such as Matthew Stafford and Kirk Cousins.

FRANCHISE QB TIER 2

(Eli Manning, Joe Flacco, Andy Dalton, Alex Smith, Jimmy Garoppolo, Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Mitchell Trubisky, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Kyler Murray) In the tier just below Franchise QB’s Tier 1 are another group of QB’s that are capable long-term starters in the NFL. The difference with this group is that it includes players that have reached their full potential such as Eli Manning and Joe Flacco or who have thus far failed to do so such as Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. In addition to those players, some young quarterbacks that have potential to ascend to the next level are included here but remain at this level since they are all unproven. Examples of those young QB’s are Sam Darnold, Kyler Murray(not pictured), and Mitch Trubisky.

BACKUPS

(Nick Foles, Case Keenum, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Lamar Jackson, Ryan Tannehill, C.J. Beathard, Josh Allen, Blake Bortles, Nick Mullens, Brock Osweiler) All the rest of the QB’s are classified as backup’s, meaning I believe they will never become long-term starters in the NFL. Most of the QB’s included here have flourished as back-ups to this point in their careers. Some young QB’s included here such as Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, are unlikely to have successful long-term careers by my estimation. But, they certainly will have the opportunity to prove me and the rest of their critics wrong in the next few years.

Now let us turn our attention back to the Dallas Cowboys pivot. Is Dak Prescott elite? Certainly not, but he is without a doubt above average. And, despite his many critics (especially among Cowboys fans), he is going to be the starter in Dallas for many years to come. Let’s all hope that as he continues to develop, he becomes as close to elite as possible and that one day he leads the Cowboys to another championship.