With their eyes toward the future, the Dallas Cowboys picked Dak Prescott out of Mississippi State with the team's second selection in the fourth round (135th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. The move was a rare one for Dallas, as Prescott became the first quarterback drafted by the Cowboys since Stephen McGee in 2009, and only the fifth in the common draft since Jerry Jones bought the team in 1989. Prescott was slotted as Dallas' third quarterback when 2016 training camp opened, but midway through camp, a leg injury to Kellen Moore made Prescott Tony Romo's backup. His role as the primary backup was short-lived as Prescott was thrust into the role as the club's starter after Romo suffered a back injury in a preseason game at Seattle. After losing the season opener, Prescott led the Cowboys on a club-record 11-game win streak to a franchise-tying 13-3 record and the NFC East Division crown. Prescott set club rookie records with 3,667 yards, 23 touchdowns and four interceptions on 311-of-459 passing (67.8%) for an NFL rookie record 104.9 rating while becoming the first quarterback in NFL history drafted in the fourth round-or-later to start all 16 games as a rookie. He also became the first rookie quarterback in team history to be named to the Pro Bowl and the first to win AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. He returned as the incumbent starter and was elected as a team captain by teammates, finishing 2017 with 3,324 yards and 22 touchdowns to become the first quarterback in team history to pass for at least 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns in each of his first two pro seasons. Prescott extended that streak to three seasons, finishing 2018 with 3,885 yards and 22 touchdowns while completing 356 passes on 526 attempts as he propelled Dallas to a 10-6 record and its second NFC East Division crown on his watch. In 2019 Prescott led Dallas to an 8-8 record, barely missing the playoffs, as he became only the second Cowboys quarterback to top 4,000 yards in a season, finishing with 4,902 yards - second in team history. He also had career-bests in attempts (596-second in team history), completions (368-second) and passing touchdowns (30-fifth), while finishing with his second-best passer rating (99.7-fifth). Prescott's fifth season was off to an explosive start before it came to a crashing end just five weeks in, suffering a devastating ankle injury that required surgery. Through five games, Prescott led all NFL passers in attempts (222), completions (151) and passing yards (1,856) while tying for fourth with nine scores and placing sixth with a 99.6 rating. After undergoing surgery and spending the remainder of the season intensely rehabbing the injury, Prescott was awarded for his performance on and off the field, signing the biggest contract in team history on March 10, 2021, keeping him in Dallas through at least 2024. In his return to the field in 2021, Prescott made a statement as he completed a career-high (second in team history) 410 passes on 596 attempts (tied for second in his career and in team history) for 4,449 yards (fourth in team history) and a club-record 37 touchdowns. While throwing only 10 interceptions on the year, he was third in the NFL with a 104.2 rating (second in his career, fourth in team history). Prescott's 2022 campaign was beset with another injury out of the gate, as he suffered a thumb injury in the season-opening game and required surgery, causing him to miss five games. He returned in Week 7 and led an offense that ranked first in the NFL in points-per-game (31.3) and third down conversion rate (52.3%), and ranked third in yards-per-game (384.3) from Weeks 7-18. Overall, Prescott threw 23 touchdowns against 15 interceptions for 2,860 yards and a 91.1 passer rating, leading the Cowboys to a Wild Card victory at Tampa Bay, the club's first road playoff victory since 1992, only to fall to San Francisco in the Divisional Round. Overall, Prescott threw for 2,860 yards and 23 touchdowns against 15 interceptions, completing 66.2% of his passes on the year. Despite his season ending prematurely, Prescott was awarded with one of the highest honors in the NFL when he received the Walter Payton Man of the Year trophy for his outstanding community service efforts off the field, as well as excellence on the field. Prescott became the fourth Cowboys player to be bestowed with the honor, joining Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman and Jason Witten.
