Dak Prescott Given Surprising Placement in Newest QB Power Rankings

Dak Prescott is a better quarterback than the likes of Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Drew Brees, and — wait for it — Carson Wentz.

This, according to OTBSports.com, which placed the Cowboys passer at No. 4 overall in its latest QB power rankings, behind only Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, and Aaron Rodgers.

Stat Caveat: Dak Prescott was 62% accurate on throws that travelled further than 15 yards downfield, the best rate in the NFL.

In 2019, Dak Prescott was the second-most accurate quarterback in the NFL. He was the second-most accurate quarterback on third downs and the most accurate quarterback in the NFL on third-and-long. He was also the most accurate passer on straight dropbacks. The Cowboys’ problem last year was Prescott’s receivers dropping more passes than any other receiving corps in the league. That and Jason Garrett being the worst coach in the NFL.

Prescott enjoyed a career year last season, throwing for 4,902 yards (one shy of tying the single-season franchise record, second-most in the league) and 30 touchdowns. He added a personal-best 388 completions, 8.2 yards-per-average, and 68 completions of 20-plus yards. His 65.1-percent completion rate and 99.7 passer rating were the second-highest of his starting tenure.

Leveraging his success, Prescott, 26, is negotiating a long-term contract with Dallas that could cement him as the NFL’s second-highest-paid field general, at more than $34 million annually, per reports.

The sides have until July 15 to hammer out an agreement.

If no deal is reached, Prescott will be forced to ink his $31.4 million exclusive franchise tag, which would make the two-time Pro Bowler the seventh-highest-paid QB.

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Damning Passing Stat Concerning Prescott

As the captain of the Cowboys, for one reason or another, Dak catches a lot of flak. But perhaps that would be mitigated if his receivers could catch passes.

His supporting cast struggled with that task last season. In fact, no NFL QB suffered more air yards lost on dropped receptions — 392 — than Prescott, according to Pro Football Focus.

Among his weaponry, Michael Gallup ranked second in the league with 11 drops on 113 targets, and Randall Cobb tied for sixth with eight drops on 83 targets. Even the most dependable options, Jason Witten (six drops) and Amari Cooper (five), failed Prescott in spots last year.

To be fair, Dak isn’t blameless, either. His much-criticized ball placement wasn’t consistent across all 16 games, with throws fluttering high, low, or behind his intended marks, especially after a late-season shoulder injury.

Fortunately for Prescott, two of the biggest offenders — Cobb (Texans) and Witten (Raiders) — are now playing elsewhere. Gallup remains. Cooper remains. And in comes first-round rookie WR CeeDee Lamb, who averaged 21.4 yards per catch in 2019 and never dropped a pass of 20 yards or more across his three seasons at Oklahoma.

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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL