How Did the Dallas Cowboys’ Quarterbacks Perform This Season?

The Dallas Cowboys season is over, and although changes haven’t been made yet, they could be coming this NFL offseason.

Evaluating the Cowboys’ player personnel will be one of the main priorities for the coaching staff and front office. Starting with the room that gets the praise when things are going well and scrutiny when things aren’t — the quarterback room.

2023 Dallas Cowboys Quarterbacks

Dak Prescott’s 2023 Evaluation

This past season, the Cowboys’ QB room was made up of Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush, and Trey Lance. As the team’s starting quarterback, Prescott started all of the team’s 17 regular-season games this season, so most of the evaluation will fall on him.

In 2023, Dak had 4,516 passing yards, 410 attempts, 36 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a 69.5 completion percentage. He had the second-most passing yards in his career this season, trailing only the 2019 season when he had 4,902.

But the eight-year veteran’s completion percentage, rating, and number of touchdowns were all career highs. Prescott’s 124.4 passer rating is the second most in Cowboys franchise history behind Tony Romo. 

Dak also used his legs this season to become a more mobile QB, having 242 yards on 55 carries and two rushing touchdowns.

This season, Prescott had 11 multi-score games, tying a career-high he set in 2021. It also ties him for the second-most multi-touchdown games in a season in Cowboys’ franchise history, again trailing only Romo, who had 12 in 2007.

In Week 18, Prescott had his fourth game with an 80.0 completion percentage or higher in 2023. His name was thrown around in the MVP conversation, and rightfully so, especially during the second half of the season following Dallas’ bye week.

It’s hard to deny how well the veteran quarterback performed under head coach Mike McCarthy’s new “Texas Coast” offensive system this year. Prescott reinvented his cadence this season, where his notorious “here we go” call came into play.

Coaches have credited Dak for his footwork throughout the season, allowing him to be more mobile outside of the pocket and use his legs more.

Prescott led the league with his passer rating of 117.9 on third-and-long this season. The best example was his 98-yard touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb against the Lions in Week 17. This was the longest pass of his career yet.

Last season, Prescott led the league in interceptions with a career-high 15, and although that number dropped to nine this season, it came back around to haunt the Cowboys. 

Prescott’s performance in the Wild Card round against the Packers was one of his worst this season. He had two costly interceptions, the second most he’s had all year in a single game.

Still, giving Prescott a fair evaluation this season would mean examining his performance as a whole, not just the loss to the Packers.

He has improved and was among the league’s best throughout the season. But the only issue haunting Dak is his performances in the postseason, as he has a 2-5 record during his career.

To take his career to the next step, Prescott must pass the threshold of getting the team to the NFC Championship at the very least next season.

Cooper Rush and Trey Lance’s 2023 Evaluation

The only time we saw Rush play this season was in the preseason or when he played seven games in the fourth quarter during the regular season. He had 18 completions for 144 yards, one interception, and a 75.0 completion percentage.

The team signed Rush to a two-year deal in 2023, so he has one more year before hitting free agency.

As for Lance, he was the team’s emergency QB and didn’t make any starts for the Cowboys this season. Dallas had acquired Lance in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers prior to the season for a 2024 fourth-round pick.

Lance has worked to learn the team’s scheme and offensive system this season. He has also been working to develop and grow under McCarthy’s guidance.

Although it’s unclear if Lance will get a shot to take the team’s backup QB position this offseason, it could be a training camp competition between him and Rush.