Has Dak Prescott dropped to the bottom of the 2025 NFC East QB rankings?
Has Dak Prescott dropped to the bottom of the 2025 NFC East QB rankings?
Since entering the league in 2016, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has consistently dominated the NFC East. He was the top quarterback when he was named Rookie of the Year, and led the team to the NFC's top seed. Draft classmate Carson Wentz bubbled up in 2017, but Prescott has reigned as the division's top signal caller almost every step of the way. He has a record of 33-8 against NFC East opponents, so the domination has been evident across all areas, not just statistically, as long as he's been healthy.
Heading into 2025, things could be taking a different direction. Prescott had possibly his worst season before suffering another significant injury. The New York Giants drafted someone they hope will be the future franchise quarterback, while Jalen Hurts and Washington Commanders' rookie Jayden Daniels led their teams to the NFC Championship game. Will a healthy Prescott bounce back to continue his dominance, or will the younger options develop into the new stars who take the division into the future?
4. New York Giants
Russell Wilson is at a point in his career where he is a year-to-year rental, not a franchise guy. His 2024 Pro Football Focus grades are all over 70, with a passing grade of 74.5 from 11 games where he threw for 2,482 yards at nearly 64% completion percentage with a 16:5 TD:INT ratio. Those aren't electric numbers, but he can keep a team competitive if everyone around him plays well.
Wilson takes too many sacks and has success rate under 44%.Jameis Winston is the opposite. He can still put an offense on his back and throw a team to victory with four touchdown passes, but he could also lose said game with four interceptions. He makes for a perfect backup QB, plus is excellent in a locker room and great with the media. Winston had a better success rate than Wilson last year while taking fewer sacks and having a better QBR. The difference is that he had 13 touchdowns to 12 interceptions because that is the type of quarterback he is.
The Giants traded back into the first round of the draft to select Jaxson Dart to be the future of the franchise.
Dart played better each season in college, taking a significant leap after leaving USC and transferring to Ole Miss for his final two years. He had PFF grades over 90 in every category except against pressure, which was still a quality grade of 69. Head coach Brian Daboll helped develop Josh Allen into the MVP he is today, and while Dart doesn't possess his physical gifts, he is mobile enough and capable of making full field reads in college.
3. Dallas Cowboys
Prescott was an All-Pro and placed second in the MVP vote a year ago, so how could the Cowboys be the third team in quarterback rankings going into 2025? In reality he was having a poor season when he suffered yet another season-ending leg injury. His PFF grades were under 68 in overall and passing, and the team had a record of 3-5 in starts by Prescott. His surroundings were an issue all year, with poor offensive line play, a lack of a running game, and his one true receiving weapon missing training camp. He was also burdened with a lame-duck coaching staff.
Joe Milton is what the Cowboys have been searching for in recent years at this position. A young developmental talent with a big arm and solid mobility. Milton has an arm as good as any in the NFL, and while he isn't a scrambling quarterback, he can maneuver in the pocket and escape to make a play if necessary. He didn't play in a scheme that translates to the NFL while at Tennessee, so it may take him a while to understand the nuances of play-calling and the details of the position. If Milton ever develops, he could be an exceptional talent.
Will Grier could be the backup for situations where Prescott misses a half or a game. He understands how to run an offense, but he isn't as talented as Milton,
2. Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels appears to be a franchise-changing quarterback who has a strong case to be the best in the division. As a rookie in 2024, he took a 4-13 team to a 12-5 record and a conference championship game for the first time since 1991. He didn't appear to have many weaknesses as PFF graded him 89.6 overall with a passing grade of 83 and a rushing grade of 88.2. Daniels threw for nearly a 70% completion percentage with 25 touchdown passes and an interception percentage under 2. He had over 3,500 passing yards and just under 900 rushing yards. The only knock on Daniels is that he is new, and with an offseason to watch his tape, defenses could have a better plan to impact his play. Will he be the next quarterback with a sophomore slump like Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud or take a second-season leap into the championship stratosphere?
Marcus Mariota found his sweet spot in Kliff Kingsbury's offense last season. He only played in three games, but his metrics were easily the best of his career. He had a completion percentage of 77% with a touchdown rate over 9% and no turnovers. He had a PFF passing grade of over 90 and an overall grade of 88.9. He fits perfectly behind Daniels because he has the same type of mobility; Kingsbury doesn't have to change his offense.
Josh Johnson only threw three passes in 2024, but he is a veteran who also fits the Daniels and Mariota mold and will serve as the emergency quarterback.
1. Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts ranking first is a controversial move as he didn't throw for 3,000 yards nor 20 touchdowns, and his PFF passing grade is only 66.8. In terms of throwing the football, Hurts is third in the division, at best. His importance comes in different ways. Hurts is a game-changer in short yardage, making the Eagles nearly unstoppable.
He makes clutch scrambles to extend drives and wear down defenses. His PFF rushing grade was 88.7, and he ran for 630 yards. Hurts is limited as a passer, but he knows how to operate in a Nick Sirianni offense. If he has one-on-one outside, then he will hit A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith on a vertical route. If a defense stays back, he will take a drop off to the tight end running underneath, across the field. Hurts might need a loaded offense to succeed, but he is going to have it next season, at a minimum. He could be a back-to-back Super Bowl MVP and deserves his credit as the top guy in the NFC East going into 2025.
Backup Tanner McKee has started once and has thrown the ball 45 times in two games. He threw for four scores, had zero interceptions, and had a QB rating of 117. Dorian Thompson-Robinson has five starts but has only thrown for one touchdown and 10 interceptions. Rookie Kyle McCord was drafted in the sixth round and is unlikely to be a significant contributor even if Hurts misses any games.
You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or Bluesky @mike-crum-cdpiglet.bsky.social
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