When Dak Prescott went down with an injury shortly after training camp got underway, fans of the Dallas Cowboys may have thought, “Here we go again! Another season down the drain before it starts because of an injury to the quarterback!”
Considering how Tony Romo’s career ended and how Prescott went down last season, it is not hard to understand the sentiment. While the team made it sound like the injury was not significant, certain members of the media tried to act like it was.
It now appears that the team was not underplaying the injury, and the naysayers were over-stating it.
During a recent conference call with reporters, Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said Prescott has been given the green light to participate fully in practice from now on.
“We’re just playing ball at this point,” Moore said. “We’re not looking at anything from a limitation standpoint. We’re playing football, and obviously, from his standpoint, we’re getting ready for the regular season and Tampa Bay.”
The injury occurred on July 27, when the team was still in Oxnard, California. Initially, he hoped it would not be an issue. But when he felt some discomfort the next day during warmups, he stepped away from practice.
A few days later, Prescott did not seem concerned. Head coach Mike McCarthy said he did not think Prescott would be out for more than just a few days. But rather than risk further injury, the team took a cautious approach. Prescott didn’t even start light work until early August.
The injury was one more common to baseball players than quarterbacks. Consequently, the team consulted with doctors and trainers from the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees on how they should proceed.
While members of the media tried to make it sound like the injury could be more severe than the Cowboys were letting on, Prescott continued to increase his workload slowly. But the team was careful not to have him do too much.
On Wednesday, he was scheduled to take part in seven-on-seven drills but ended up jumping right in and getting some team reps in. Afterward, Ezekiel Elliot talked about Prescott’s return.
“Dak looked really good, man,” Elliot said. “He’s throwing the ball with some pop. He looks like he’s progressing good.”
Apparently, he looked good to the team doctors as well since he was given the green light to begin taking part in practice once again.
The Cowboys would not have played Prescott in Sunday’s preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, injury or not. With another two weeks until the regular-season opener against the defending Super Bowl champions, the team will probably be as cautious as it can be while still preparing for the Buccaneers.
Prescott certainly gives the Cowboys the best chance to upset the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Opening Night. But Dallas is currently a 7.5-point underdog in the game (odds via Caesars).
