Dallas Cowboys: No Dak Prescott? No problem
By Reid Hanson
The idea of the Dallas Cowboys being without Dak Prescott for any period of time is not a nice one. After seeing firsthand what a Dak-less Cowboys team looks like last season, no one wants to relive it again.
But here in the preseason things are different. The games are meaningless and there’s all the risk of injury, with no reward of victory. Such is the way of exhibition games.
Ask any investor and they’ll tell you, a risk without a reward is a situation to be avoided. And that’s where we stand with Dak Prescott right now.
The Dallas Cowboys are wise to sideline Dak Prescott to ensure his health for the season opener.
Despite being on track in his shoulder recovery, Mike McCarthy is entertaining the idea of sidelining Dak all preseason. Playing it safe seems to be the goal, even if it comes at the expense of a little rust vs the defensing Super Bowl champs.
Mike McCarthy confirmed there is a "good chance" that Dak Prescott will not play in the preseason. His first game back in action is projected to be Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
— Brianna Dix (@briannadixNFL) August 18, 2021
None of this should be overly concerning to Cowboys fans. While a few preseason reps and some rhythm would be nice, it’s a whole lotta risk for no real tangible reward. And whether Dak’s rusty or not when he debuts in Week 1, the Cowboys are still going to be considered underdogs against the Bucs. A couple reps aren’t going to change that.
Looking at training camp, Dak appears to be looking good. If this was the regular season, he’d probably be lock to start too. This is all about taking the proper precautions and playing it safe. It’s not to be seen as an extra layer of concern or a set back in his recovery.
Dak Prescott and his right arm and his mended ankle look just fine at Dallas Cowboys traoning camp! #CowboysNation pic.twitter.com/albg20AyQD
— Dallas Cowboys Collaboration (@mailman_phil) August 10, 2021
This is about more than starting the season strong. As I mentioned before, no matter what Dak does this preseason the Dallas Cowboys are going to be underdogs in Week 1. They have a new defensive coordinator and a lot of new parts to work in against the defending champs. Even if Dak played all of the next game and posted a prefect QBR, I still expect Dallas to lose their first game this season.
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Frankly, I have the Cowboys losing the first two games this year before they get things humming and win the NFC East with an 11-6 record. And that’s just it – it’s about the big picture. The way things look right now it could be a slow start to the season. But it’s a long season and the Dallas Cowboys are supremely talented so as long as everyone stays healthy (especially Dak), there’s no reason to think an 0-2 Cowboys team can’t win the division and roll into the playoffs strong.
By no means does this mean we should give up hope for the opener, rather it means to focus on the big picture and not sacrifice long-term goals just to take a wild swing as a couple early ones.
If Dak Prescott sits out all preseason – no problem. If he starts off rusty against the Bucs – no problem. Even if the Dallas Cowboys start 0-2 – no problem. It’s about the big picture here because we have big goals for this year.
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Would you try to work Prescott into the preseason or are you cool with waiting until the regular season to get this baby rolling?
- Published on 08/18/2021 at 17:24 PM
- Last updated at 08/18/2021 at 17:24 PM