The Dallas Cowboys are one of the NFL's most storied franchises. As we march toward the 2025 season, questions remain to be answered at the quarterback position. Dak Prescott remains the starter, while Will Grier is the team’s primary backup. Dallas also added Joe Milton from New England, who should compete with Grier (or may have the job already).
With Prescott’s injury history and the limited NFL experience of both Milton and Grier, it's time to look at where the Cowboys QB room ranks compared to others around the league and its ability to sustain success in a competitive NFC.
Overview of the Dallas Cowboys QB room
Dallas’s QB room is centered around Dak Prescott, the team’s leader since 2016. Prescott has been a steady hand under center, but injuries have disrupted his rhythm in two of the last three seasons. Behind him, Will Grier steps into the backup role, although his NFL resume leaves much to be desired.
When healthy, Prescott is one of the league’s more reliable QBs. Over the past five seasons, Prescott has thrown for over 4,000 yards twice and has passed for 35 or more touchdowns twice. In his last full season (2023), he completed 69.5 percent of his passes, while passing for 4,516 yards and 36 touchdowns with just nine interceptions.
However, Prescott’s durability is a growing concern. Since 2020, he’s missed 26 games due to various injuries, including a hamstring issue that sidelined him for the back half of the 2024 campaign. Despite this, Prescott’s leadership and ability to guide the team to consecutive winning seasons when healthy demonstrates his value. However, Prescott still has a lot to prove in the postseason as his record remains underwhelming at 2-5.
Will Grier is the Cowboys’ primary backup at the moment, a role that opened when Cooper Rush left for the Ravens in free agency. Grier, a former third-round pick out of West Virginia, hasn’t really had a chance to prove himself in the NFL. In his career, he’s appeared in just two regular-season games, both of which were losses.
Grier’s highlight moment came in the 2023 preseason when he threw for 358 yards and four touchdowns against the Raiders. While preseason stats aren’t the most reliable, they at least show Grier can handle himself in a competitive environment. Still, his lack of meaningful game experience is a concern, especially for a team that leans so heavily on their QB. Should Prescott need to be spelled for any reason, it’s hard to trust whether the team is in good hands with Grier.
Then there’s Joe Milton, a former sixth-round pick for the New England Patriots (2024) who the Cowboys traded a fifth-round pick for. Despite all the buzz around the potentiality of this trade for weeks, Milton, much like Grier, is unproven. In his rookie year Milton was 22-of-29 passing with 241 yards and one TD. He appeared in one game for the Patriots last season. Adding may be about upside or potential but he doesn’t do much for the team's QB room right now.
Ranking the Dallas Cowboys' QB room against other NFL teams
Quarterback rooms are judged not just by their starter but also by the depth behind them. While Dak Prescott is a proven commodity, his injury history and lack of playoff success drag the Cowboys’ ranking down compared to more stable QB situations.
Teams like the Kansas City Chiefs (Patrick Mahomes, Gardner Minshew and Bailey Zappe) or Baltimore Ravens (Lamar Jackson and Cooper Rush) boast elite starters with experienced backups. Even teams like the San Francisco 49ers, with Brock Purdy and Mac Jones, have more depth than Dallas. The Cowboys currently sit in the middle of the pack (maybe even the lower third), somewhere roughly between 16th and 22nd, largely due to Prescott’s talent, but their lack of a proven backup sticks out like a sore thumb.
One undeniable strength of Dallas’ QB situation is Dak’s leadership. He’s a stabilizing force who has the team’s respect and knows how to manage games effectively. Prescott’s accuracy, decision-making, and ability to rally the offense make him a top-12 starter when healthy. Prescott’s presence alone lifts the Cowboys above teams that lack a reliable starter.
Knowing all of this, it’s obvious that the Cowboys’ depth at QB is their biggest weakness. Grier has minimal experience, and relying on him should he be forced to play considerable time during the regular season could be disastrous. The departure of Rush, who filled in admirably anytime Prescott missed games over the past few years, leaves a void that we don’t know if Grier can fill. This lack of depth puts the Cowboys in a precarious position, especially in a loaded NFC where every game matters.
Final evaluation
Overall, the Cowboys’ QB room is a mixed bag. Prescott’s talent and leadership keep them competitive, but his injury history and the lack of a proven backup in Grier raise questions. Compared to other NFL teams, the Cowboys fall short of the elite QB rooms but aren’t quite the worst of the bunch. To improve, Dallas must address their depth, at some point before the start of next season.