Dak Prescott passes Tony Romo as Cowboys' career passing leader: Where he ranks all-time among Dallas QBs

In 2016, Dak Prescott succeeded Tony Romo as the Cowboys' starting quarterback. Ten seasons later, Prescott has surpassed his former teammate as the franchise's all-time passing leader. 

The milestone came on a nine-yard completion to George Pickens in the third quarter against the Eagles on Sunday. With that throw, Prescott, 32, further cemented his place in Cowboys lore.

Cowboys' all-time passing leaders

** -- Pro Football Hall of Famers 

There are few positions in pro sports as glamorous as being QB1 of "America's Team." It's been that way since Don Meredith led Dallas to consecutive NFL Championship Games in the late 1960s. Roger Staubach took it to even greater heights in the 1970s, when he captained Dallas to its first two Super Bowl titles.

Fittingly, the Cowboys' return to glory during the 1990s included Hall of Fame–level play from quarterback Troy Aikman, who became the first starting quarterback in history to win three Super Bowls in a four-year span.

While Aikman remains the Cowboys' last Super Bowl–winning quarterback, he has been surpassed by Romo and Prescott on the team's career passing list. Romo broke Aikman's record in 2014 and held the mark for nearly 11 years before Prescott passed him.

While Prescott's place on the Cowboys' all-time passing list is secure, here's where he ranks among the greatest quarterbacks in franchise lore. 

5. Tony Romo 

A former undrafted rookie, Romo was a Pro Bowler during three of his first four years as the Cowboys' starting quarterback. He was named to his fourth and final Pro Bowl during his age-34 season.

In addition to winning over 61% of his regular-season starts, Romo also helped the Cowboys snap their 14-year drought without a playoff win during the 2009 postseason. Five years later, he and the Cowboys won another playoff game before coming up just short of ending the franchise's ongoing NFC title game drought.

Romo edged out Danny White -- whose career included a Pro Bowl berth and three consecutive NFC Championship Game appearances -- for the fifth spot on this list.

4. Dak Prescott 

A little low? Maybe, but Prescott still has time to move up on this list.

As it stands, he's actually in a strong spot. Prescott ranks ahead of Romo and several other notable Cowboys quarterbacks, including White and Craig Morton -- a 10-year Cowboys veteran who led Dallas to its first Super Bowl appearance before later facing the team in Super Bowl XII as a member of the Broncos.

Prescott parlayed his breakout rookie year into a highly successful run as Dallas' QB1. The 2016 Offensive Rookie of the Year, he has since been selected to three Pro Bowls. In 2023, he became the first Cowboys quarterback to lead the NFL in touchdown passes. Earlier this season, he passed Romo in career victories and now trails only Staubach and Aikman on the franchise's all-time list.

He may soon add Comeback Player of the Year to his resume, too. Prescott is in the midst of another Pro Bowl-caliber campaign less than a year after suffering a season-ending hamstring injury.

3. Don Meredith 

Meredith was transformational for the Cowboys. He helped elevate Dallas from a struggling expansion team to one of the NFL's upper-echelon franchises.

A Pro Bowler in each of his final three seasons, Meredith received the 1966 Bert Bell Award, given annually to the NFL's player of the year. He's on the Hall of Fame ballot this year and would most likely already be in Canton had he not retired before his 31st birthday.

2. Troy Aikman 

On most franchises, Aikman would be No. 1. A six-time Pro Bowler, he became the first quarterback to win three Super Bowls before his 30th birthday. Not bad for a former No. 1 overall pick who went 0-11 during his first season in Dallas.

A surgeon on the field, Aikman routinely dissected the NFL's top defenses during his heyday. In Super Bowl XXVII, he carved up the Bills' formidable defense for 273 yards and four touchdowns on 22 of 30 passing, earning Super Bowl MVP honors as Dallas cruised to a 52-17 win.

A first-ballot Hall of Famer, Aikman owns the highest Super Bowl completion percentage in history (70%) among quarterbacks with more than 60 attempts. His 94 regular-season wins are still a franchise record.

1. Roger Staubach 

Captain America is still No. 1 as far as Cowboys quarterbacks are concerned.

A member of the NFL's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, Staubach enjoyed a career that was nothing short of iconic. Remarkably, he didn't become the Cowboys' full-time starter until age 29.

He immediately made up for lost time. Staubach went 13-0 during his first season as Dallas' QB1, highlighted by an MVP performance in the team's 24-3 victory over Don Shula's Dolphins in Super Bowl VI — the franchise's first Super Bowl win.

Over the next eight seasons, Staubach won a Super Bowl, played in two others and was part of some of the most memorable games and plays in NFL history. His aura was largely built on his ability to engineer improbable comebacks. He recorded 15 fourth-quarter comebacks and 23 game-winning drives during his Hall of Fame career.

Staubach's most memorable comeback was his game-winning touchdown pass to Drew Pearson against the Vikings in the 1975 playoffs. After the game, he said he recited a "Hail Mary" before launching the ball downfield — inspiring the phrase that became part of NFL lore and further cementing his legacy.