Cowboys' Dak Prescott and Eagles' Jalen Hurts Predicted To Slide Behind Commanders QB Jayden Daniels in NFC East Race

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Cowboys' Dak Prescott and Eagles' Jalen Hurts Predicted To Slide Behind Commanders QB Jayden Daniels in NFC East Race originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
FRISCO - How rapidly is Jayden Daniels rising in the eyes of the critics?
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So rapidly that he's now being predicted to being better than Dak Prescott in 2025.
So rapidly that he's now being predicted to be better than Jalen Hurts in 2025.
Daniels, as the Washington Commanders rookie quarterback in 2024. Daniels, jumped from being the No. 2 overall pick in last year's draft to being the leader of a franchise that made its first NFC Championship Game since the 1991 season.
And to ESPN's Marcus Spears, the former Dallas Cowboys standout, that's just the start of things when it comes to the state of the NFC East.
Spears - no shock jock - predicts that Daniels will continue to skyrocket to become the 'best quarterback in the NFC East' up and over the Dallas Cowboys' Prescott and over the Philadelphia Eagles' Hurts in 2025.
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'If (Daniels) is getting smarter, I expect him to be the best quarterback in the NFC East,' Spears said on NFL Live. 'I know Dak Prescott is here in Dallas and has a longer tenure, but when you see the things that Jayden Daniels can do off script, that adds to a lot of his ability.'
We're not going to argue down Spears; again, unlike so many in Bristol, he's not saying this to gain attention. ... and there is merit in this prediction.
After all, Hurts was a second-round pick and Dak was a fourth-round pick. So on pedigree alone, Daniels gets the nod.
But ...
Hurts is coming off a year during which he won the MVP of the Super Bowl.
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And Dak, coming off an injury-caused lost season, is still just a year-and-a-half removed from having finished second in NFL MVP voting.
We will say this: All three of these teams think they can win the East. The team that is right might be determined by whether Spears is right.
Related: Commanders QB Jayden Daniels Ranks With Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes on 'Untradeable' List
Related: Pickens Apology Due As Camp Issues Major Statement About Cowboys Star
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.