Cowboys: Why NFL analyst believes Dak Prescott is 'forever underrated'
When it comes to quarterback rankings, fans and media around the NFL find it impossible to agree on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. There are some who rank him as a Top 7 – maybe even Top 5 – signal-caller. But there are also those who comfortably leave him out of the Top 10 and […]
When it comes to quarterback rankings, fans and media around the NFL find it impossible to agree on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
There are some who rank him as a Top 7 – maybe even Top 5 – signal-caller. But there are also those who comfortably leave him out of the Top 10 and those who rank him near 15th-best in the league.
Such is the life of a Cowboys quarterback, a franchise that for good and bad reasons is always in the spotlight. The controversy comes as part of the job. If you wear the Star on your helmet as a quarterback, people will debate about your play even years after your retirement.
But all of this doesn't matter to Steven Ruiz from The Ringer. The NFL analyst is firm in his belief that Dak Prescott belongs in the Top 10, ranking him as the seventh-best quarterback in the league in the initial version of his QB Rankings. These will keep track of each player's performance throughout the season.
"Dak Prescott is forever underrated," writes Ruiz. "Despite being constantly under the spotlight as the Cowboys’ quarterback, Prescott has quietly developed into one of the NFL’s most cerebral passers."
Since he got to the NFL in 2016, Prescott looked in full control of the offense thanks to his ability to read the defense pre-snap. Actually, Ruiz calls Dak's pre-snap skills his best attribute.
In fact, he's so good at it that it's led to speculation on Dak being the reason why the Cowboys don't run more motion, especially "motion at the snap." Perhaps it's the quarterback who prefers the opposing defense to be static in order to get the most out of his forte.
"Prescott is still making it work by being proactive before the snap," explains Ruiz, who argues Dak's pre-snap skills are the fourth best in the league.
"He’s rarely fooled by the blitz and typically has a good read on what coverage the defense is in, which allows him to either get the ball out quickly or find a secondary option."
Last year, to be fair, the Cowboys quarterback got fooled a few times. But usually, this happened post-snap. This is an area Prescott must improve on. The Arizona Cardinals, for example, ran plenty of simulated pressures and aggressive safety rotations to catch Dak off guard and it worked.
Being healthier will help in this area this season as Prescott will be able to buy more time with his legs to figure defenses out.
In the meantime, make no mistake about it. The Cowboys have a Top 10 quarterback on the team. Asking him to "elevate" the level of those around him might not be an ideal strategy from the front office but at least you can bet Dak Prescott will be able to do it.
Featured image via Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
