Cowboys News: The aftermath of Dak Prescott’s second ankle surgery, plus more

Cowboys will sign or tag Dak Prescott, have no medical concerns after two ankle surgeries - Tom Pelissero & Ian Rapoport

Dak’s going to be back (we think) – we just don't know how yet.

Sources say the Dallas Cowboys will make a push to sign their quarterback to a long-term contract prior to the March 9 deadline for applying the franchise tag — a sign they’re confident in Prescott’s ongoing recovery from multiple surgeries on the ankle he fractured in October.

If no deal is struck, the Cowboys would tag Prescott a second time for a cost of about $37.7 million to keep him from hitting the free-agent market, per sources.

Dallas made a similar push last season, both in March and before the July 15 deadline for signing franchise players to multi-year deals. But the sides couldn’t reach an agreement and Prescott, 27, played the season on the $31.409 million tag.

Prescott suffered a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle Oct. 11 in a win over the New York Giants, leaving the field on a cart and in tears. He underwent surgery that night, during which doctors’ primary concern was preventing infection, and they did so successfully.

Drew Pearson Explains His Hall Of Fame Surprise - David Helman, DallasCowboys.com

The wait is finally over.

As the only member of the NFL’s 1970s All-Decade team not to be inducted, Pearson joked that the only question he seems to hear is “why aren’t you?” Those questions reached a crescendo just last year, when the original No. 88 learned yet again that his wait would continue.

In 2021, though, the surprise was a good one.

Speaking Sunday morning as one of the seven newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Pearson detailed how he learned of his induction – and how both the Cowboys’ owner and his quarterback, Roger Staubach, orchestrated it to catch him off guard.

“Jerry Jones requested us for a meeting,” Pearson said. “He said he didn’t know what it was about, but he thought it had something to do with real estate and the businesses going on at The Star. I figured this was logical, because Roger and Jerry are involved in a business deal with a high rise condominium there, and I thought maybe they wanted to include me in this deal.”

Connor Williams Present and Future Value to Cowboys Remains in Question - Jess Haynie, Inside the Star

What does Williams’ future hold?

Given their greater concerns at other positions on the roster, the Cowboys will likely stick with Williams for at least this final contract season. Between recovering from the ACL injury and the surrounding issues on offense, Connor’s improved performance in 2020 was enough to earn that opportunity. .

But that doesn’t preclude the Cowboys from eyeing other options this offseason. If a veteran guard can be had for a bargain, or if a value pick presents itself on Day 2 of the draft, Dallas might add a new competitor to the mix.

Williams’ already has one potential challenger to worry about in third-year prospect Connor McGovern. After finally getting healthy and seeing action in 2021, McGovern could be in a position to push for the starting job depending on his offseason development.

Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith says contract fallout shows there is no ‘commitment to Dak Prescott’ - Paulina Dedaj, Fox News

Smith didn’t mince words about Dak’s contract situation:

The only answer I can give is the Cowboys are uncertain whether or not he’s the future of the Cowboys,” Smith said, via KRLD radio. “Outside of that, if he was the complete future of the Dallas Cowboys, they would make no bones about giving him a contract.”

Prescott previously signed a franchise tag worth $31.4 million during the offseason after failing to negotiate a long-term deal with the team. He suffered a season-ending ankle injury on Oct. 11 against the New York Giants but owner Jerry Jones had made it clear that Dallas was still invested in Prescott.

“You wouldn’t offer Dak what we offered in the past if you’d not thought he was very special,” Jones said back in January. “The issue is how do you come together? And that’s no stranger to me. I’ve been doing it all my life, putting things together. We’ve got to get it together.”

But Smith is reading between the lines and says there’s no “commitment” to Prescott.

Report: Cowboys’ Dak Prescott reportedly underwent second surgery on ankle - Cassandra Negley, Yahoo Sports

Surgery number two was successful.

The second surgery was to strengthen his deltoid ligament, clean out the ankle and make it more structurally sound, NFL Network reported. It was not related to the October injury, but was reportedly found after doctors went in for the initial surgery. Doctors waited until there was no risk of infection to go back in.

Prescott reportedly took a week of rehab after the surgery. It should help his overall recovery from the initial injury since it improves his ankle’s stability and integrity.

The surgery “isn’t considered a setback,” per the Morning News, and he is reportedly ahead of schedule with the four-to-six month rehab window. Prescott is expected to be ready for training camp in late July, but it’s uncertain that will be with the Cowboys.

Cowboys should tag Prescott and select a QB at No. 10. Here’s why. - Zeke Barrera, Cowboys Wire

A few interesting draft scenarios:

Scenario No. 1

In the first, this finally becomes the straw which breaks the camel’s back between Prescott and the Cowboys. In a bizarro Aaron Rodgers-Jordan Love scenario, during a time when professional athletes are wielding as much control over their fate than ever before, Prescott signs his franchise tender and demands to be traded before the start of the season.

At that point, Dallas can jump right into a seller’s market and link up with whichever team missed out on their original QB target. Both the Cowboys and Prescott are able to move forward, and although whichever QB they field in 2021 would be a downgrade, the team would at least have more of a clear path and direction with their rookie QB than going year-to-year with a player they claim to value yet haven’t committed to.

Dallas Cowboys 7-Round Mock Draft: Taking a Surprise Direction - Reid Hanson, Sport DFW

A full seven-round mock.

Round 2, Pick 42

SAF Richie Grant

UCF

Richie Grant isn’t just one of the hottest names in Cowboys Nation these days, he’s one of the hottest names in draftnik fanbases all over the league. Grant has strong film that makes him an easy guy to like and a low-risk player in an otherwise risky field of players.

He’s versatile and can play both safety spots as well as some man coverage inside and outside. On the Dallas Cowboys he’d plug into the free safety spot and take over for Xavier Woods as the new single high safety.

Donovan Wilson would patrol in the box but also be given opportunities to slide back in Cover-2 and 2-Man looks. Grant is attractive at this point because the Dallas Cowboys need a plug and play player at safety, and given their inability to properly evaluate free agent safeties, drafting a safety high should be the preferred way to go.

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