Dak Prescott talks about his recovery, recent practices, and the future

All seems right again in Dallas Cowboys world. Dak Prescott is back on the playing field practicing. He’s not doing everything just yet, but he is doing enough to make the future look more clear. After the brutal ankle injury he suffered in Week 5 of the 2020 season, there was concern about his long-term future. We haven’t seen him in a competitive, no-holds-barred game of football yet, but his return to practice is a prominent sign that he’s going to be okay.

Todd Archer put together a quality article with quotes from Prescott, Mike McCarthy and a teammate to show the progress. It’s worth your time, but we’ll lift a few quotes here. Prescott discussed how it felt to be back on the field.

“It felt great,” Prescott said. “After long months of recovery and just rehab, the main goal is to just getting back out there with my teammates, getting back on the field, running a huddle, building that camaraderie on the field. It’s just exciting yesterday and carrying over today, but so much we can build with the team and me personally. I’m just excited to know the game is back and I’m able to be a part of it.”

Prescott has maintained all along that he knew he would be back, but there is nothing like tangible proof. This had to be a powerful moment for Prescott, and for the Cowboys organization. The franchise had a look at the medicals and the rehab all they way through his recovery, so that’s why they had the confidence to sign him to the huge contract. Still, this moment was another sigh of relief for the front office.

There was a little bit of caution by the the team with Prescott. They didn’t allow him to run 11-on-11 drills just yet. Things can go wrong there and the team wasn’t ready to chance that yet. It’s a smart play and one Prescott clearly understands.

“I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily limited,” Prescott said. “I think we’re just being cautious and being smart in the fact of I’m not doing things when there’s a pass rush or guys potentially falling at the legs or something of that nature. But as far as saying I can’t do drills or I can’t do something, I’m pretty much full go.”

Everyone knows that the final step is to let Prescott start taking some hits. That day will have to come, although the Cowboys could wait all the way until Sept 9th versus Tampa Bay if they so choose. More likely would be some limited reps in a preseason game or two.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Cowboys players are happy to have QB1 back.

“Everybody in the locker room loves Dak,” Schultz said. “He’s a leader. He’s a fierce competitor and he’s the leader of the offense for sure, so seeing him get back in action and getting right back to where he left off has been awesome.”

For Prescott, the OTAs weren’t a big surprise. He’s been feeling better for about a month now.

Prescott said he felt closer to normal about a month ago, “When I started jumping on this leg, landing on this leg alone, cutting off this leg and doing a lot of things I’d naturally do in a game and doing them in a reactive form, not necessarily calculated,” he said.

The Cowboys are going to go a far as Prescott takes them. His recovery is everything. Thankfully, it looks to be in good shape.