COSA MESA, Calif. — If there is anyone who can best describe how quarterback Dak Prescott has performed this summer it’s Stephen Jones.
The Cowboys executive vice president was in the war room when the franchise selected Prescott in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft. He was in Seattle when Tony Romo suffered a back injury, which eventually led to Prescott taking over.
He sat in a luxury suite with his father, team owner Jerry Jones, and other family members watching in horror as Prescott lay on the AT&T Stadium turf crying because of a fractured leg.
So when Stephen Jones says his QB1 is having a terrific training camp it comes from a place where he’s seen everything.
“I thought he’s had his best camp that I’ve seen him had since he’s been a Cowboy,” he said. “Velocity, his accuracy, the whole thing. Obviously, as the quarterbacks get older, they get better. The good ones do. They get better every year. There’s no question in my mind, I think he’s had his best training camp he’s ever had.”
Last summer, Prescott’s training camp work was halted by a muscle strain in his throwing shoulder, which further placed stress on his own recovery from a fractured leg suffered in the fifth game of the 2020 season. Prescott’s 2021 year was about rehabbing and recovery from something.
Whether it was his leg, his shoulder or his mind.
When you’re considered the franchise quarterback of the Cowboys, and probably one of the top 10 at his position, the pressures to overcome health issues and elevate a team becomes paramount.
The Cowboys believe they have the right man in place for that.
Losing Prescott isn’t a pleasant option for the Cowboys considering where they used to be.
After Troy Aikman retired in 2001, the team went through quarterback hell until Romo replaced Drew Bledsoe in 2006.
“It’s hard, you gotta keep going until you find them,” Jones said. “We went through a phase between Troy and Tony. You just got to keep trying. You look around the league, that’s what teams do who don’t have them. You got to keep drafting them high and you got to keep trying to pay a guy that may not be yours but he’s somebody else’s and you make something out of him. It’s not easy to find certainly. We’re fortunate to have one.”
During two days of joint practices here against the Chargers, Prescott was missing his three main receivers in CeeDee Lamb (toe) Michael Gallup (knee) and James Washington (foot). You could tell things were different for Prescott as the running game sloshed along, offensive linemen were knocked to the ground and there was a dropped pass from Tony Pollard. Outside of a Dalton Schultz touchdown reception, Dennis Houston caught a Hail Mary pass to end practice. Prescott threw two touchdown passes in team drills on Thursday afternoon.
“I don’t necessarily get frustrated,” Prescott said. “That’s what this is about, this is exactly about that time to work and make other guys step up and take advantage of their opportunities.”
Franchise quarterbacks have difficult days but don’t mistake Prescott’s value to this franchise and what’s expected.
Mike McCarthy has coached a few franchise quarterbacks from Joe Montana, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers and now Prescott. So the Cowboys coach, like Stephen Jones, knows what he sees in a franchise quarterback.
“I think number one, they’re winners and they can do more than play the position,” McCarthy said. “I think Dak is an excellent example of that. There’s a lot of responsibility that goes into being the face of the franchise obviously what we do on the field is ultimately what we’re judged by. He carries a tremendous volume of responsibility so far from the field too and I think he does an excellent job of that.”
Prescott doesn’t shy from the responsibilities of being the franchise quarterback. After Thursday’s practice and in-between a throwing game with all the quarterbacks, he worked on throwing passes to Gallup, who is recovering from a torn ACL.
Prescott is everything to everybody.
That’s just the job.
“I do what I’m asked to do being the quarterback of this team,” Prescott said. “Anytime you’re playing this position you know your responsibilities to get other guys to come with you, to get guys to be locked in, be disciplined. No different whether the receiver core is old or young, they look to me for answers and I look to them to communicate and be on the same page and we’ll continue to do that and continue to grow.”
