Getty Dak Prescott
Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is confident that franchise quarterback Dak Prescott will not miss a beat in his 2021 return from reparative ankle surgery.
Same old Dak — ‘Star Wars’-type numbers and all.
“He looks great. He really does,” McCarthy said Friday on the Rich Eisen Show. “He’s in here every day; I can’t say enough about the progress he’s made. All of us, there’s different thresholds you have to get over when you’re coming back from anything, and you can see his ability now to throw within the perimeter group. He’s taken a bunch of steps and looks great. We’re excited, and I think he’ll pick up where he left off.”
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Stat Projections
At the time of his injury, Prescott was a bonafide MVP contender on pace to shatter both team and league records. Through five games, the former Pro Bowler had completed 68% of his passes for 1,856 yards, nine touchdowns, and four interceptions. Although the Cowboys went 2-3 across those games, largely due to an incompetent defense, Prescott eclipsed 400-plus air yards in three straight weeks, including a 502-yard effort against Cleveland.
The point man leading the sport’s most talented supporting cast — featuring the likes of Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Ezekiel Elliott, Michael Gallup, and Blake Jarwin — Prescott indeed is a threat (if not lock) to pick up where he left off, as McCarthy predicted.
One media outlet, NFLAnalysis.net, noting Dak’s penchant for rallying the club from a deficit, projected at least 4,500 passing yards and 35 scores during the upcoming campaign.
When a team is behind, quarterbacks are going to put up big numbers because they are forced to throw the ball. This could be the case again if Dallas’ defense does not make any improvements.
Poor defense or not, Dak Prescott is a threat to go off every Sunday. He can use both his arm and legs to make plays and we will see that once again this season.
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Rehab Update
Prescott is nearly a half-calendar year removed from his Oct. 11 right ankle compound fracture and dislocation, a catastrophic malady that required emergency surgery and a December follow-up procedure. Doctors initially pegged his recovery timeline at 4-6 months.
While Prescott expected to beat that mark — and apparently has — there was doubt as to whether he would see the field until training camp, as Dallas employed a safer-than-sorry approach with its $160 million investment. McCarthy, however, teased Prescott’s possible participation in spring work later this month.
“I think we’re right on track,” he told Eisen. “As far as his rehab, he’ll definitely hit the target. I’m hopeful with the [Organized Team Activity] practices that he’ll be in there full go. He really looks great. I don’t think anybody has any doubt.”
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL