It’s time to evaluate the Texas NFL quarterbacks.
Both are young quarterbacks with promising futures.
They are Dak Prescott for the Dallas Cowboys and Deshaun Watson for the Houston Texans.
Which one is better?
Deshaun Watson is the better of the two.
Here’s why.
Rushing
In terms of ability, Watson wins.
He is a more natural scrambler and is more of a threat to run.
Before Lamar Jackson came on the scene, teams feared Watson’s legs the most in the NFL.
From 2017-2020, he rushed for 1,602 yards and 17 TDs.
Not only does that not include a completed 2020 season, but it is also important to remember his rookie year was cut in half with a season-ending injury.
In Dak’s case, he has rushed for 1,314 yards and 24 TDs from 2016-2020 though his 2020 season has been cut short by injury also.
Surprisingly Dak has more rushing TDs, but I am going to attribute that to a slightly longer career and an apparent ineptness for the Cowboys to score in the red zone despite the offensive weapons they possess.
Passing
They are on equal footing with passing statistics.
Over his career, Dak has thrown for 17,634 yards with 106 TDs and 40 INTs.
Deshaun Watson has 13,477 career yards and has thrown 96 TDs and 35 INTs.
Dak has been the beneficiary of a better offensive line early in his career.
But, Watson just keeps getting better as his career progresses.
With that touchdown pass, #Texans QB @deshaunwatson has become the fourth quarterback since 1970 with at least 3,500 passing yards and 25 passing touchdowns in three of their first four seasons. pic.twitter.com/iTtc9QEkmb
— Texans PR (@TexansPR) December 13, 2020
So far in 2020, Watson is averaging 8.5 yards per pass, a career-high.
His completion rate of 68.9 percent is a career-high.
His passer rating of 108.6 is a career-high.
In 2020, he is also on pace to pass for 4,613 yards and 32 touchdowns, both of which would be career highs.
He seems to have actually gotten better without DeAndre Hopkins.
Before his injury, Prescott was on a historic pace in 2020 to become the single-season passing yardage leader.
He was also on pace to become the league’s first 6,000-yard passer.
Carries The Team
Someone get Deshaun Watson some help please pic.twitter.com/7cSU3VM5HN
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) December 13, 2020
If you are not old enough to have experienced the Barry Sanders era with the Detroit Lions, do yourself a favor and watch video on Sanders.
He was the best runner in the NFL at a time when Emmitt Smith was doing his thing in Dallas.
Why is this relevant?
Because I compare Deshaun Watson to Barry Sanders and his ability to carry a team.
He is the best offensive weapon they have for years running.
Watson has very little support otherwise.
You can include consistent head coaching and offensive line players in that discussion.
Yet, somehow Deshaun Watson racks up impressive stats, working largely with his own abilities.
Dak has a better offensive line, running back and a corps of wide receiving weapons.
His coaching is of a higher caliber including a former Super Bowl Champion in Mike McCarthy.
On paper, Dak has the tools yet Deshaun is better.
Currently Playing
It may be unfair, but the quarterback currently playing is the better one.
Dak had an unfortunate injury that surprisingly did not happen earlier in his career.
He has very little regard for his body and is determined for his team to achieve success.
It also puts a question mark on how he will bounce back from this in 2021 with an uncertain contract situation with the Cowboys.
Watson is still out there each week.
Yes, he had a season-ending injury in his rookie year.
But he bounced back and continues to perform at a high-level week-after-week.
As I said in the beginning, neither is going to the playoffs this year.
And neither is playing on a good team right now.
Both are talented players who work very hard; I would not want to judge the difference in work ethic.
Dak and Deshaun hopefully have long careers ahead in the NFL so this discussion can be revisited in a few years.
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