QB Dak Prescott had great camp, hit more deep balls, OC Scott Linehan says

The Dallas Cowboys had no questions about quarterback Dak Prescott coming into training camp.

They always felt he was going to get better and build on his monumental rookie season because of the demeanor and work ethic he has displayed from the outset.

It is still comforting to see their hopes come to fruition at the close of training camp in Oxnard, with Prescott’s play and improvement being at the top of the list of bright spots.

“He has gotten better every day,” offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said. “You look from the start of camp to the finish. He has had a great camp. He has showed physical improvements. The anticipation and his arm strength looks better, and it was good to begin with. I see his improvement, but not just in his intangible stuff, which is so great, but his physical stuff things.”

One area specifically that Prescott has gotten better in is throwing the deep ball. He has made a point to challenge himself and take more chances on long passes, and it has paid off in training camp.

Last year in camp, Linehan said Prescott got maybe 10 plays with starters in practice during camp, so it was hard to develop a chemistry downfield.

Linehan said Prescott has hit more deep balls in camp this year than the team has in previous camps he’s coached with the Cowboys, and that includes a few years with Tony Romo.

“The outside part of the field, he does a really good job of that,” Linehan said. “We get a lot of respect with our running game. Being able to do that, especially not just one-on-one throws but downfield, I think we improved our ability to do that in a lot of ways. We’ve hit a lot more deep balls this camp than we have in previous camps in my opinion, so that’s a good sign.

“He threw a back shoulder to Cole Beasley yesterday, probably the best throw I’ve seen him make in a long time. You have to throw that one place and you have to have a guy like Cole who can adjust and keep his feet in. That’s pro football right there, and I’m not sure he would have tried that last year. Those are a couple of examples.

“The best thing he does is we call the plays, he runs the plays and executes the plays. That’s what the quarterbacks who win in this league do, and that’s how we do it here.”

Linehan also singled out receiver Brice Butler for having his best camp since coming to the Cowboys. He said Butler gives them an important downfield threat on the outside.

Linehan is pleased with his skill position depth at running back, receiver and tight end.

“I will take our receiving corps, tight end corps and running back depth with anybody,” Linehan said.

Linehan is disappointed he didn’t get much from rookie receiver Ryan Switzer, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury for much of camp.

And he said the battle at left guard is still a work in progress.

He hopes to get Chaz Green into the competition with Jonathan Cooper when the Cowboys resume camp at Ford Center at The Star on Monday.

Garrett: Much accomplished

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said his team had a good and competitive camp in Oxnard. He said the players laid a good foundation for the season.

“I thought guys came in, they were ready to practice, they did a good job preparing themselves in the time that we had off before camp and we got right to work,” Garrett said. “To me, having the opportunity to play in the Hall of Fame game was really good for our team. I thought just a chance to see a lot of young guys in a game-type environment has been good for us. I think it’s helped their development and growth throughout camp.

“Now to have three more games to get some of the more veteran players ready and to get our entire football team evaluated the way we need to, it’s a great opportunity for us.”

Garrett said their time in California seemed to go by fast because everybody was so passionate and focused.

He expects the same attitude and production when the team resumes practice at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco on Monday after Saturday’s preseason home opener (6 p.m.) against the Indianapolis Colts at AT&T Stadium.

The Cowboys will have six practices open to fans at Ford Center.

This story was originally published August 17, 2017 at 8:08 PM with the headline "QB Dak Prescott had great camp, hit more deep balls, OC Scott Linehan says."