Are Jerry Jones, Cowboys Fans to Blame for Dak Prescott Being Underappreciated?

We have seen Dak Prescott be underrated, underappreciated and not taken serious enough time and time again in rankings and whatnot over the years.

But who is really to blame for the constant disrespect for the Dallas Cowboys quarterback?

ESPN's Kevin Clark touched on the subject recently and gave his thoughts on why Prescott doesn't get more love despite his robust numbers.

In Clark's eyes, Prescott is underappreciated and has "become a punchline" because of failed roster building by Jerry Jones and because of, believe it or not, Dallas' own fans.

“I had Jason Garrett on my show yesterday and we said that Dak Prescott might be one of the most underappreciated players in football," Clark said on First Take.

"I'll go further. [Dak Prescott] is the most underappreciated. He’s become a punchline because of the sins of Jerry Jones’ roster building. And cowboys fans always overhype their team.”

Clark goes on to say that he believes the Cowboys are capable of contending in the NFC in 2026 if the defense can get to average and the offense can meet expectations.

"But this year, when you look at the offense, I just think that there's going to be a floor that's really high, and then the defense, if it can get to average, it's NFC contention. It's not Rams level, but it's close there," Clark said.

Is Clark right about Prescott?

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) stretches before practice at the Ford Center. — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Roster building definitely has something to do with Prescott being underappreciated. Yes, Dallas has surrounded Prescott with good players on offense, but as we saw last season, Dallas' defense was awful and wrecked the season.

Prescott has shown that if he just has average support from his defense, he can typically get the Cowboys to the playoffs. Every year Prescott doesn't get there, it hurts his stock, even if the reason behind Dallas missing the postseason isn't his fault.

The biggest problem Prescott runs into is what happens when he gets to the playoffs. In five postseason trips, Prescott has gone one-and-done in three of them and has never made it past the Divisional Round.

If he had at least gotten to a Super Bowl by now, the view of Prescott would be much different and there would be a lot less people disrespecting a guy who rolls out of bed and throw for 4,000 yards on a yearly basis.

Unlike Clark, we don't think Cowboys fans overhype their team. We do, however, blame the media (and especially ESPN) for oversaturation of Cowboys coverage.

It feels like fatigue over seeing the Cowboys incessantly plays at least a small role in how Prescott and other Dallas players are viewed nationally.

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