With the release of Madden 26 right around the corner, EA has revealed the player ratings for everyone in the game. This also includes the ratings for every quarterback in the game, few of which are as polarizing or debatable as Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys. Coming off an injury-shortened 2024 NFL season, Prescott finds himself in charge of a new-look Dallas offense that features a few new tools, most notably wide receiver George Pickens. But does EA think Prescott has enough in the tank to get the Cowboys back into the playoffs this year?
In this piece, we’ll reveal Prescott’s Madden rating, how he compares to other QBs in the game, how you should play with him, and determine if he is overrated, underrated, or evaluated perfectly by the team over at EA.
Dak Prescott’s Madden 26 Ratings Overview
Like in Madden 25, Dak Prescott has an 84 overall rating in Madden 26. In fact, after cross-referencing the two games, it seems his attributes are more or less identical. Here are his key attributes in the game that contribute to this rating, according to EA.
- Throw Power: 91
- Throw Under Pressure: 89
- Throw Accuracy Short: 89
- Throw Accuracy Mid: 84
- Throw Accuracy Deep: 91
- Throw On the Run: 92
- Play Action: 88
Being a dual-threat QB that can make plays with his legs as well as his arm, Prescott also has some general and ball-carrying attributes to complement his throwing ability.
- Speed: 84
- Acceleration: 83
- Strength: 75
- Agility: 82
- Awareness: 79
- Jumping: 79
- Injury: 89
- Stamina: 95
- Toughness: 97
- Carrying: 68
- Break Tackle: 74
- Trucking: 73
- Change of Direction: 80
- Ballcarrier Vision: 86
- Stiff Arm: 67
- Spin Move: 51
- Juke Move: 71
- Break Sack: 85
How Dak Prescott Plays In Madden 26
We’ll have to wait until Madden 26 is released to actually see how Prescott will play. But judging from the ratings themselves, Prescott is a versatile QB with the tools to operate a wide variety of schemes. He does have several characteristics of a classic dual-threat QB due to his athleticism and throwing ability. However, there are certain things that could get in the way of this.
His ball-carrying is definitely not as high as it used to be. Yeah, he has the physical intangibles to get into the open field, but keeping the ball when scrambling might not be his forte. Instead, he has all the trappings of being a very good pocket QB with the ability to extend plays and get out of the pocket when necessary, and can break off a decent run when there’s space, so long as he hits the deck before taking a big hit.
Is Dak Prescott’s Player Rating Fair Based On The 2024 NFL Season?
So, this is a tough question to ask. Because on one hand, Prescott’s 2024 season was cut short midway through due to a season-ending injury, meaning that any diminishing margin would seem unfair. That said, the Cowboys QB wasn’t having a great go of it before injury struck.
In 8 games in 2024, Prescott accumulated 1,978 yards on 185 completions. However, his 11-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio was on pace to be the worst of his career. He also had a career-low QB rating of 86.0 by Week 9.
Overall, I can’t say that his 84 OVR is unfair, per se. Because, at the end of the day, he’s about that good in real life, too.
Dak Prescott Vs. Other Top Quarterbacks In Madden 26
Dak Prescott’s 84 OVR rating makes him the 12th-highest rated QB in Madden 26. Here are the top 15 QBs in Madden 26 by rating:
- Josh Allen – 99
- Lamar Jackson – 99
- Joe Burrow – 97
- Patrick Mahomes – 95
- Matthew Stafford – 88
- Jared Goff – 87
- Jalen Hurts – 86
- Justin Herbet – 86
- Baker Mayfield – 85
- Jayden Daniels – 85
- Brock Purdy – 84
- Dak Prescott – 84
- Jordan Love – 83
- Tua Tagovailoa – 82
- C.J. Stroud – 81
As expected, Dak Prescott is not an elite quarterback in Madden 26, and is far behind guys like Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Patrick Mahomes. Instead, he resembles a solid starting QB who is good enough to start in the NFL, but might be expendable in a few seasons.
Tips For Using Dak Prescott In Madden 26
As I alluded to before, I think the way people play with Dak in Madden 26 will change from how they probably used him in past games. Yes, he is still very mobile. But, unlike a QB like Allen or Jackson, I don’t think he has enough skill in the open field to be a true dual-threat.
Instead, I think Prescott is an elite pocket passer with the ability to get out of the pocket and elude sacks. He can definitely break off a good run if he has the space in the open field, but his days of breaking tackles while carrying the ball are far behind him.
Final Verdict: Overrated, Underrated, Or Just Right?
When I was first going through his attributes, I was tempted to say that Dak Prescott was kind of overrated in Madden 26. But after seeing how he compares to every other starting quarterback in the game, I’d say he’s rated pretty much just right. Yes, he still has a very good arm on his day, but it seems that Madden prioritizes QBs who can run with the ball rather than just throw it. And while Dak can still run decently well, he’s not elite. Far from it, actually.
One thing I do take issue with is Dak’s injury rating being an 89. Over the course of his career, he’s mostly avoided the IR. But since 2020, Prescott has had a few significant injuries that have sidelined him for various amounts of time. In 2020, he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 5. In 2022, Prescott sustained a thumb injury in Week 1 that kept him out for six weeks. Finally, in 2024, Dak had a season-ending hamstring injury midway through the year.
So while I don’t necessarily disagree with how EA sees his skillset, I definitely don’t understand why they think he’s among the more resilient players in the NFL.
But what does the OS community think?
