Dak Prescott has had a difficult 2020, to say the least. Once the coronavirus pandemic caused people nationwide to quarantine, Prescott began to experience anxiety and depression. In April, he suffered an unimaginable tragedy when his older brother Jace committed suicide. Also, the former Offensive Rookie of the Year didn’t reach a long-term deal with the Cowboys and instead signed a franchise tag that would pay him $31.4 million this season.
This put Prescott in a situation where he would have to bet on himself and prove that he was among the NFL’s elite signal-callers. He torched the league with 1,856 yards passing in just five games. However, that fifth game would be his last as he suffered a compound fracture and ankle dislocation which ended his 2020 campaign.
Earlier this week, Prescott spoke at NFL.com’s Pepsi Rookie Roundtable and advised the youngsters about going through the first year of an NFL career and also touched on his ankle rehab.
“Don’t take anything that you’re doing for granted,” Prescott said. “No matter how big or how small it is, don’t take it for granted because it’s a blessing. I’ve been able to play every level of my career because the guy in front of me has gotten injured, so I know what it means to be ready and to stay ready in case a guy gets injured in front of you.
“But now to be that guy that’s injured for the first time in my career missing the rest of the season, it’s different. It’s tough. But for me, it’s about making and creating small victories. So each and every day when I wake up and I go in for rehab, it’s about, for me, seeing my leg or seeing my body do something that it didn’t do the day before or creating a feeling that I didn’t have before so I know that I’m continuing to get better.”
The Cowboy’s offense was unstoppable with Prescott under center. They averaged 32.6 points and 488 yards per game. Since his injury, it’s been a nightmare as those numbers have dropped to 14.7 points and 289.7 yards a game. The team has gone 1-5 over that stretch.
Prescott realizes how much he’s missed and it’s a driving force during his rehab process.
“And at the end of the day, I know my team needs me,” Prescott said. “And I know they need me now for support, but they’ll need me again later. So it’s about helping them whichever way that I can and however I can. But it’s about being right mentally and then counting those small victories.”
Speaking of the Cowboys needing support now, Prescott made an appearance at practice on Friday. Ezekiel Elliott spoke to the media about seeing his main man on the gridiron.
“It’s good every day to see him,” Elliott said. “He’s always in great spirits, doing whatever he can to uplift his team, although that’s very limited just because of the circumstances. Dak’s been great.”
There’s no doubt that the biggest elephant in the room this offseason will be getting Prescott inked long-term. But for now, the main focus is his health and getting back to the form he’s played at since the beginning of the 2019 season.
