Getty Dak Prescott
So much for mothballs.
Now more than seven months removed from reparative ankle surgery, his projected recovery timetable fulfilled, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will “do most things” during upcoming offseason practices and will be all systems go for training camp in July, head coach Mike McCarthy announced Saturday.
“There’s a plan in place that’s coordinated with [athletic trainers Britt Brown and Jim Maurer] and the training room so I know he feels really good,” McCarthy said, via ESPN’s Todd Archer. “He’s really had some excellent workouts here in the last couple weeks. I’d see him doing most of the work.”
Prescott suffered a right ankle compound fracture and dislocation on Oct. 11 and immediately underwent emergency surgery. He was expected to miss 4-6 months. In December, he had a follow-up procedure to strengthen the area around his ankle; Archer noted it was “unrelated to the break.”
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Dispatches from Prescott’s doctors and those within The Star have repeatedly indicated the two-time Pro Bowler recovered well — ahead of schedule, technically, as Prescott for weeks has been working with his private QB trainers.
The Cowboys felt so comfortable with Prescott’s rehabilitation that, less than five months in, they handed him a record-setting $160 million contract.
Upon putting pen to paper, on March 10, Prescott declared he’ll be “ready when it matters.” McCarthy, as recently as May 7, echoed that sentiment. With authority.
“He looks great. He really does,” McCarthy said 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 [last season].”
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Next Steps
The Cowboys currently are holding its rookie minicamp, which is scheduled to conclude on Sunday. Obviously, as the name suggested, this is limited to new draftees and first-year players. So, no Dak yet.
But the 27-year-old could make his 2021 debut on May 25, when Dallas begins Organized Team Activities that run in batches from May 25-27, June 1-3, and June 7-10. These practices — Phase Two of the offseason program — are voluntary.
“I have no reason not to think that,” McCarthy said. “I think this week in Phase 2 will be a nice step in that direction.”
Phase Three begins on June 8 when the club will hold a three-day minicamp. These practices, and its participation, are mandatory.
The Cowboys then will break for roughly six weeks until training camp kicks off in Oxnard, Calif., in late July. On Aug. 5, Prescott should be under center, albeit briefly, when Dallas hosts Pittsburgh in the preseason-opening Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio.
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL