Getty Cowboys QB Dak Prescott
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is scheduled to undergo a second MRI on his injured throwing shoulder in a move the organization vows is “not a setback” ahead of the Sept. 9 regular-season opener.
“It’s not a setback. And it’s not a reason to worry. But QB Dak Prescott is planning on getting another MRI,” the team announced as cryptically as possible Wednesday evening.
Prescott has yet to practice fully since July 28 when he was diagnosed with a right shoulder strain that settled under his armpit — an ailment more commonly found in baseball players, prompting Dallas to seek treatment advice from the MLB’s Texas Rangers. He subsequently was barred from throwing and sat out last week’s preseason lid-lifter versus Pittsburgh.
The good news: Prescott, under the watchful eye of the Cowboys’ medical staff, received the green light to resume light tossing during Tuesday and Wednesday’s practices. Limitations, however, remain; the $160 million signal-caller is on a pitch-count and will not work at full strength count until his appendage is re-examined upon the team’s return home this weekend from training camp in Oxnard, Calif.
Those limitations, Prescott insists, will disappear in time for the Cowboys to kick off the 2021 campaign against the reigning Super Bowl champs.
“Once I get back in the team setting, I’m not going to think about my arm,” he told reporters Wednesday, via the official team website. “It’s about progressing at the right time. It all felt good out there. Every throw I made. When they tell you stop, you don’t want to hear it, but you (stop).
“Once Sept. 9 comes, I’ll move forward and won’t think about this again.”
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Making the media rounds before breaking camp, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones teased the possibility of Prescott suiting up during the exhibition period — perhaps as soon as Aug. 21, when Dallas is slated to host Houston at AT&T Stadium.
“I’d say it’s not out of the question,” Jones said Wednesday, via the official team website. “The question’s going to become, when we get there, do we do it or not? It’s just, we’ve got to make good, sound, solid decisions for Dak as we go here. But I wouldn’t rule it out.”
In the next breath, Jones reaffirmed that Prescott will be handled with kid gloves leading up to the aforementioned showdown at Tampa Bay, regardless of whether he sees preseason action.
“I totally get some people having question marks when we’re being as conservative as we are with Dak. But as you can see with Dak in “Hard Knocks,” you’ve got to the protect the guy from himself,” Jones said. “I mean, this guy is a working machine and he wants to be out there. He’s driven. He wants to lead this team, he wants to be out there on the field, doing everything, but we’ve got to manage it.
“We’re going to be very conservative. As you can see, he’s going to be fine. It’s just managing this situation the right way.”
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