NFL Twitter wasn’t certain about Dak Prescott’s arm strength in his return to action for the Dallas Cowboys against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The long-awaited return of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott sparked disagreement on social media. Is Dak back? That’s the big question.
Prescott came out swinging against the Buccaneers with a 28-yard completion to Amari Cooper to open his night. It was as good a first pass as Dallas could have asked for.
Despite the bright start, it quickly became clear Prescott’s arm strength might not be what it once was. Twitter certainly noticed.
Dak Prescott’s arm strength didn’t look right in the opener
It's one drive, but anybody else think Dak's arm looks ... sub-par?
— Matt Verderame (@MattVerderame) September 10, 2021
looked like dak roethlisberger on that drive 😬
— Steven Ruiz (@theStevenRuiz) September 10, 2021
Does Dak’s arm strength look ok?
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) September 10, 2021
We’ve yet to see him really throw a fastball.
That’s not to say everyone was skeptical of Prescott’s arm strength. There was an entirely different side of Twitter praising the quarterback for a sharp return.
Surrounded by banner night energy.. Tom Brady just walked right DAHN the field. Super Bowl Champs lookin like the Super Bowl Champs…
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 10, 2021
Dak and the Boys ANSWER without blinking.. pic.twitter.com/m69ObMWMJq
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott on that seven-play drive: 7-of-7 for 75 yards and a TD to WR CeeDee Lamb. pic.twitter.com/eaoDGijG4W
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) September 10, 2021
Dak is dialed, we got ourselves a ball game
— Football (@BostonConnr) September 10, 2021
Dak Prescott showing no rust. He even took a pretty good shot on that TD pass to CeeDee Lamb. Dak now 10 of 13 passing for 124 yards, TD, 131.6 passer rating
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 10, 2021
Very promising #Cowboys opening drive derailed by two drops from Lamb. Can't happen, especially against the champs.
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) September 10, 2021
Positive: Dak looks fantastic -- zero rust so far.
This might be a Rorschach test. It might also simply reflect what exactly people are looking for.
It’s possible for Prescott to look free of rust while also being incapable of slinging it to the degree he could in the past. Accuracy and arm strength are two different categories. The greats are able to blend the two.
A true judgment of Prescott’s arm strength will have to wait until he has a couple of games under his belt. He hasn’t played football in almost a year and he’s dealt with a shoulder problem this summer.