When will Dak Prescott return? Cowboys QB likely to be out until season-opener

According to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will miss the team’s next preseason game against the Houston Texans on Saturday.

Prescott last played in an NFL game in the Cowboys’ Week 5 win over the New York Giants in 2020. The quarterback suffered a gruesome ankle injury during the game that ended his season.

Cowboys to wait until season-opener to play Prescott

While Prescott has recovered from his ankle injury, the quarterback suffered a latissimus strain during training camp that put him on the shelf for a couple of weeks.

The Cowboys were hoping that Prescott would get some game time under his belt during their preseason campaign to ensure he can dust off the cobwebs before the season commences.

The star quarterback has been practicing with the team since Monday and hasn’t faced any issues with his shoulder, but the team is exercising patience and won’t rush him to return to the field this Saturday against the Texans.

The Cowboys will not field Prescott or any other starter in the team’s final preseason game on Sunday, August 29th, against the Jacksonville Jaguars. That means Prescott’s first taste of NFL action, since being carted off the field last year, will be against the reigning Super Bowl champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Cowboys’ season opener at Raymond James Stadium September 9th.

Can Prescott replicate the form he was in before the ankle injury?

Dak Prescott was franchise-tagged by the Cowboys during the 2020 offseason and had to essentially prove that he was worthy of a long-term deal with the team.

He responded in some style, throwing nine touchdown passes in five games and averaging 371 passing yards per game. His MVP-calibre season was cut short due to a devastating ankle injury. Still, his absence did wonders for his future with the team, as the Cowboys’ offense struggled all season long without Prescott under center.

Having signed a massive four-year, $160 million extension with the team this offseason, Prescott now has to replicate his form from last season and lead the Cowboys to the division title and a deep playoff run this year.

But having had no game time to test his ankle or his shoulder, it might be too tall an order for Prescott to hit the ground running right from the go against the Buccaneers. There’s pressure on Prescott and the Cowboys to challenge for, if not win, the division title this year, and it will be interesting to see how the quarterback and the team cope with the weight of expectations.