Dak Prescott credits Tony Romo & Jason Witten for laying foundation of leadership

These aren’t your father’s Dallas Cowboys, they’re not even your older brother’s Dallas Cowboys, and to a lot of you the 2018 version of the squad aren’t even your Dallas Cowboys.

It’s true that the current iteration of America’s Team looks significantly different. Gone are the mainstays that once were: Tony Romo, Jason Witten, Dez Bryant, you get the picture. A lot has changed under the most iconic logo in sports, and it all happened rather quickly.

The Cowboys now have young, new players to serve as the next generation of leaders, especially somebody like quarterback Dak Prescott.

There’s no question that the Cowboys are now Prescott’s team. He’s no longer a rookie, no longer a second-year player, he’s an established veteran and has been around the way things work for a while. With Ezekiel Elliott by his side and a cornerstone like Sean Lee on the other side of the ball, he has enormous potential.

Dak spoke to NBC’s Peter King about leadership, and he was quick to credit those that came before him. Prescott inherited something great in Dallas and that something great didn’t happen by accident.

Peter King: I find it really interesting that in the course of two years the Dallas Cowboys have lost their two most-noted leaders, Tony Romo one year, Jason Witten the next year. You’re 25 years old and you’re being asked to be the leader of one of the most storied franchises in all sports. How does that feel?

Dak Prescott: It’s a blessing. Growing up a Cowboys fan, always being a leader in every stage of football that I’ve been in, as you said just to only be 25 years old and being asked to take this lead... it’s been fun. I give credit to those two guys you said, Tony Romo and Jason Witten, of laying a good foundation and teaching me how to be a leader and wear the star the right way on and off the field. It’s easy when you have the type of guys that we have in this locker room and the team that we’ve got, so it’s fun.

There’s never been any question that Prescott has a good head on his shoulders, we’re just now at a point where more team-wide responsibility is also being laid there. Prescott is aware that he has to lead by example and he truly has, even since his rookie year.

One thing that he has behind him now that he hadn’t before is legitimate experience. We’ve seen Prescott have success and struggle at times in the NFL. These are moments that create learning opportunities, and it feels fair to say that Dak Prescott is someone who relishes those experiences and soaks the most out of them.