Fans of the Dallas Cowboys and plenty in the mainstream media thought the sky was falling when Dak Prescott suffered a shoulder strain about a month ago. He didn't play in the Hall of Fame Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on August 5 and as a precaution, the Cowboys are keeping him on the shelf until the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 9.
After multiple MRI's the Cowboy's top signal-caller slowly worked his way back with some light throwing in practice. On Wednesday, for the first time since July 27, Prescott participated in competitive team drills, and the two-time Pro Bowler looked sharp.
Prescott took 18 snaps in 11-on-11 drills and completed 11 of the 12 passes he attempted. The only incompletion came on a batted ball by Safety Jayron Kearse.
There were multiple passes over 20 yards completed by Prescott. He had a 30-yard connection with Tight End Blake Jarwin down the sideline and also a completion on the run to Dalton Schultz, which were the highlights of his day.
Prescott even got some work in after practice. He threw a few passes of around 40 yards to Amari Cooper who recently returned to the field as well from an ankle injury.
His best friend on the team, Ezekiel Elliott, talked after practice about how well Prescott looked throwing the football.
“Dak looks really good, man,” Elliott said. “He's throwing the ball with some pop. He looks good, looks like he's progressing.
“I'm sure he'd rather not have to take those steps and just be out there and get in a whole camp. But, I mean, he's a grinder. He's a true pro with just the amount of work he puts in just to get to where he was off the ankle and back off this strained muscle. It's a true testament to the leader and player he is, and excited to get him back.”
Wednesday's workload for Prescott was a continuation of what he did last weekend. Before the Cowboy's 20-14 loss to the Houston Texans, Prescott threw around 50 passes, a clear indication that he was on track to be ready for the season opener.
Dak Prescott got in about 50 throws during his pregame warmup. This was his longest toss pic.twitter.com/YJvUvcT7VI
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 21, 2021
Here's Dak throwing to the far sideline from the opposite hash. pic.twitter.com/RK0zRVAUpF
— David Helman (@davidhelman_) August 21, 2021
Head Coach Mike McCarthy had some glowing praise for the 2016 Offensive Rookie of the Year before Wednesday's practice.
“He's a competitor,” McCarthy said. “He brings that competitiveness and expertise to knowing the quarterback position. He makes the whole practice better because of the way he approaches it. Just his warm-up before practice is gamelike. He treats it the way you'd love to see all your players treat it. He's definitely one of the examples you use for the young players.”
The Cowboys and Prescott have done an excellent job managing his shoulder strain. There have been no setbacks, and in two weeks when the season starts, he'll be ready to go.
