Dallas Cowboys ‘pumped’ about Dak Prescott’s return and their special season
Dallas Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones never had any worries or concerns about quarterback Dak Prescott being ready for the start of training camp, which begins in earnest on Wednesday when the team holds its opening press conference in Oxnard, Calif.
Jones did not have a long-term worry after Prescott sustained a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle that required season-ending surgery last October.
And he expressed no concerns when Prescott underwent a second surgery in December to clean up things around the ankle to make it more stable.
“No. No. Never,” Jones said. “What he had structurally, we knew was fixable.”
The Cowboys expressed their level of comfort in him by signing him to a four-year, $160 contract in March, making him the richest player in team history and the second-highest paid player in the NFL.
His presence for OTAs and mini camp only confirmed what they already knew.
But even with all that prior confidence and belief, the sight of Prescott taking the field with the Cowboys is the thing that has Jones most excited about the start of training camp.
“I have a lot of confidence in this team with Dak leading it,” Jones said. “He special. He is rare. He is a leader. He is a special guy.”
Prescott, who was on pace to shatter the NFL record for passing yards in a season before going down against the New York Giants in Week 5, embodies everything that went wrong last season when the Cowboys finished a disappointing 6-10 in Mike McCarthy’s first year as coach.
Not only did the Cowboys have to play without Prescott, but they lost their three best offensive linemen in tackles Tyron Smith and La’el Collins and guard Zack Martin to injuries.
But this is a new year, and they are buoyed by their situation.
“I’m pumped up” Jones said. “Seeing people we didn’t have last year. You realize we were missing some key folks. That is no excuse. That is our league. We are going to have all those guys back healthy. We are so looking forward to it. We will have Dak back out there healthy, leading our team.”
In addition to the return of the injured starters, the Cowboys are also pumped about the addition of defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and his quest to overhaul a unit that allowed the most points and the second-most yards in franchise history.
They signed six defensive players in free agency and brought in eight more in the draft, led by linebacker Micah Parsons who was selected from Penn State with the 12th overall pick.
“Obviously, we went heavy on the defense in the draft,” Jones said. “It’s going to be real competition and that’s great. And, of course, we addressed defense in free agency, too. Adding Dan with that group, I am going to be surprised if we are not right back up there in the top half of the league ... [We’ll] see where it takes us.”
There are a number of story lines to focus on, position battles and decisions to make over the next month as the Cowboys prepare for 2021 season that they hope takes them back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1995.
But a year after not being able to go training camp in California due the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cowboys are right where they want to be with Prescott leading the way.
And after last season, the only way to go is up.
Prescott knows as much, and he promises that this season will be one to treasure.
“We’re just excited.,” Prescott said to NBC 5 last month. “We’re excited that hopefully we can stay healthy, we can get good fortune on that end. We’re excited for this year. It’s going to be very, very special for us and for Cowboys fans.”
