With the 2022 NFL season quickly approaching us, the Cowboys are set to face a wide range of quarterbacks in their schedule on the path back to an NFC East title.
Last year's Super Bowl saw Matthew Stafford revitalize his career with the Rams in Los Angeles, culminating in a title. On the opposite end, Joe Burrow led the charge for an upstart Bengals team that far and away exceeded expectations. Dallas will face both of them in the first six weeks of the season.
From there the rest of the list features future Hall of Famers, grizzled veterans, and young guns looking to make a name for themselves. DallasCowboys.com and the writing staff put together their annual quarterback rankings with Dak Prescott included into the fold.
The question is: How does Dak compare to them?
The 2022 schedule has a wide range of QBs, from the best ever, to the next great superstar, to a few emerging stars ready to blossom. So where does Dak fit into all of that? We ranked the best QBs on the schedule.
15. Davis Mills: Despite being handed a less than desirable situation with the Texans during his rookie campaign, the third-round pick out of Stanford impressed in just 11 starts for Houston. Mills passed for over 2,500 yards, 16 touchdowns with 10 interceptions and comes into this season as the starter.
14. Daniel Jones: To say that Jones' time in New York has been turbulent would be a fair assessment. The former No. 6 overall pick in 2019 has a career rating of 84.3 and is just 1-4 in his career against the Cowboys. The Giants elected not to pick up Jones' fifth-year option this offseason after hiring a new general manager and Brian Daboll to be the new head coach.
13. Jared Goff: Goff was the forgotten piece that was sent to the Motor City in the trade that sent Stafford to the Rams prior to the 2021 season. Under first year head coach Dan Campbell, the Lions were just 3-13-1 despite showing signs of improvement. As for Goff, he completed 67 percent of his throws with 19 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.
12. Justin Fields: It was a less an than ideal start to Fields' tenure in the Windy City. He completed just 59 percent of his throws and threw more picks than he did touchdowns in 10 starts. The talent is absolutely there and with a new coaching staff Fields could see substantial growth in Year 2.
11. Carson Wentz: Guess who's back? The Commanders will mark the third team in three seasons for Wentz after two unceremonious exits from Philadelphia in 2020 and Indianapolis in 2021. He has proven he can stay healthy and passed for 27 touchdowns and 7 interceptions with the Colts, but the this could be the final shot as a starter for the former No.2 overall pick in 2016. He is 4-4 in eight games against Dallas with 17 TDs and four picks.
10. Jalen Hurts: As for the guy that took Wentz's job with the Eagles, Hurts was strong in his first full year as a starter. He helped anchor a furious running attack in Philly from under center, but also passed for 3,000 yards and 16 TDs en route to a playoff appearance. After a busy offseason, the Eagles look much improved. How improved will likely depend on Hurts.
9. Trevor Lawrence: Of all the rookie quarterback situations in 2021, the argument could be made that Lawrence was saddled with the strangest. Urban Meyer proved to not be the ideal fit with the generational talent from Clemson, who had just a 33.5 QBR and 12 touchdowns to 17 interceptions. Jacksonville's hope is that former Eagles' head coach Doug Pederson can get the 2021 No.1 overall pick back into form.
8. Ryan Tannehill: Tannehill had a rough finish to the end of the season with the Titans last year. Despite entering the playoffs as the No.1 seed in the AFC, Tannehill threw three interceptions, including his final one which set up the game-winning field goal for Cincinnati. With A.J. Brown and Julio Jones gone, there will be more pressure on Tannehill and Derrick Henry.
7. Kirk Cousins: Since arriving in Minnesota in 2018, few quarterbacks have put up the combination of numbers and durability that Cousins has. He has started all 63 games with the Vikings during that time, while passing for over 4,000 yards and 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions last season. The problem? Minnesota was just 8-9 and missed the playoffs. The positive? They hired Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell and still have Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook.
6. Matt Ryan: 14 years in Atlanta ended for Matt Ryan this offseason following a trade to the Colts. The 2016 MVP was mired in a rebuild with the Falcons last season, passing for just 20 touchdowns and a 90.4 passer rating. Connecting with Frank Reich, Jonathan Taylor and the rest of a talented Colts' roster should give a boost to the 36-year-old who has a 3-4 career record against the Cowboys.
5. Dak Prescott: Coming off his season-ending ankle injury in 2020, expectation were tempered when Dak returned to the field last season. Instead, he blew through them all. He set the franchise-record for touchdown passes in a season at 37 while passing for nearly 4,5000 yards and a 104.2 passer rating. While he might not have the offensive weapons he did last season, and question marks on the offensive line, Dak has proved he can carry the team when it is needed most.
4. Matthew Stafford: Sometimes, things just click. And things certainly clicked for Stafford during his first year in Hollywood with Sean McVay. Not only did the (Dallas) Highland Park alum win his first Super Bowl with a loaded roster, he tied his career high in touchdowns with 41 while also tying his career mark interceptions with 17. Nevertheless, expect Stafford to pick up where he left off in February.
3. Joe Burrow: There was not a more exciting and lovable team during the 2021 season than the Bengals, and Burrow was right at the center of it. After missing most of his rookie season to an ACL injury, the swaggering LSU product shocked the NFL world and led Cincinnati to SoFi Stadium with his 34 touchdowns, 4,600 yards, and 108.3 passer rating.
2. Aaron Rodgers: If you think of the Cowboys' most gut-wrenching playoff losses in the last few years, Rodgers and the Packers are likely at the forefront of fans' minds. Rodgers is coming off back-to-back MVP seasons, though with two disappointing playoff exits of their own. He is 7-3 against Dallas in his career, including those two playoff games where has passed for 671 yards and five TDs. Oh, and he'll see his former coach in Mike McCarthy for the first time since his departure from Green Bay following the 2018 season.
1. Tom Brady: He teased the football world with his retirement in February, only to return a month later. But Brady is back for one more season with the Bucs and will open the season with the Cowboys as he did last season in Tampa Bay. The seven-time champion led the league with 43 touchdowns last year, and passed for 479 yards and four TDs against Dallas in the opener last season, who he is 6-0 against all-time.
