Getty Cowboys QB Dak Prescott
The Dallas Cowboys have downplayed the severity of Dak Prescott’s shoulder injury but there continue to be rumblings that something more serious may be going on with the franchise quarterback. During halftime of the Chiefs-Cardinals preseason matchup, ESPN’s Adam Schefter provided an ominous update on Prescott implying the quarterback may not be fully healthy for the entire season.
“He’s not fully back, he may not be back all season long,” Schefter explained, via Pro Football Talk.
Schefter’s report comes just days after NFL.com’s Gil Brandt suggested Prescott is unlikely to be 100% by Week 1. Both the Cowboys and Prescott have maintained that the quarterback will play against the Buccaneers in the season opener on September 9th.
“Had a long talk with Dak Prescott yesterday out in Frisco,” Brandt tweeted on August 19th. “He expects to be out there when the Cowboys open the season. I think it would take a lot to keep him from playing, just not sure he’ll be at 100%. Season tilts on his health.”
Prescott Has Had ‘Absolutely No Setbacks’: Report
Not everyone is as pessimistic on Prescott’s outlook for the season as NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero painted a much rosier picture of the Cowboys franchise quarterback’s status. Prescott has sustained “absolutely no setbacks” and is on track to play in Week 1, per Pelissero. To be fair, both Schefter and Brandt did not question whether Prescott would play but what condition the quarterback will be in when the team takes on the Buccaneers.
“Cowboys QB Dak Prescott (shoulder) has had ‘absolutely no setbacks’ in his rehab and remains on track to start the Sept. 9 opener against the Bucs, per source,” Pelissero noted in a series of tweets. “Prescott could’ve played tonight vs. Houston, but no point risking anything in preseason. He will throw pregame again. Dallas has been extremely cautious to avoid setbacks, and doctors feel good about Dak’s progress. Plan is to ramp up his practice workload again next week, then cut him loose the week of the opener. Dak told me recently “there’s no doubt” he’ll be 100% in Week 1 and all season.”
Until Prescott takes the field, there is going to be plenty of speculation about his status. Even if Prescott is able to successfully play against the Bucs (as everyone expects), there is going to be scrutiny about how both his shoulder and ankle respond in the days following the game given he has not played since October.
This footage showing Prescott throwing prior to the Cowboys-Texans matchup has some fans feeling more at ease.
Dak throwing to Zeke in pregame warmups
Cowboys on Prescott: ‘Not a Reason to Worry’
The Cowboys have continued to emphasize that the team is simply being precautious with Prescott’s recovery. Yet, there is no imaginable scenario where the Cowboys would not at least be mildly concerned with Prescott being forced off the field during the first week of training camp. The Cowboys also added more scrutiny thanks to a weirdly-worded tweet announcing Prescott was receiving a second MRI.
“It’s not a setback,” the Cowboys tweeted on August 11th. “And it’s not a reason to worry. But QB Dak Prescott is planning on getting another MRI.”
The MRI showed that Prescott had no setbacks on his road to recovery, but that has not squashed questions about his health condition heading into Week 1. With Prescott not taking any preseason snaps, these concerns are only going to get louder as the Cowboys-Buccaneers season opener gets closer.