Cowboys fans should be cautiously optimistic about plan for Dak Prescott

Dallas Cowboys fans get some positive news concerning the continued improvement that quarterback Dak Prescott is seeing during the NFL offseason. 

Any hope for a 2021 Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl was ultimately dashed by a quarterback run, but that doesn’t mean the Cowboys are backing away from versatile playcalls in the coming year.

In fact, the Cowboys plan to double down on increasing Dak Prescott’s movement in the backfield as they introduce more quarterback runs and movement in their 2022 playbook.

According to Cowboys writer Clarence Hill Jr., the Cowboys were “limited” last season due to the lengthy recovery of Dak Prescott’s fractured ankle — but now, Prescott is “quicker, more comfortable and moving better in the offseason compared to last year.”

Cowboys plan on increasing the mobility of Dak Prescott in 2022

The reluctance to put pressure on Prescott’s development is reflected in his rushing records last season. In 2021, Prescott rushed 48 times for 146 yards and a touchdown through 16 games. Before injuring his ankle in October 2020, Prescott already rushed 18 times for 93 yards and three touchdowns — and that was only through five games.

In his first three seasons, Prescott rushed at least 57 times in each of those seasons, racking up more than 300 yards in the 2017 and 2018 seasons respectively. From 2016 to 2018, Prescott scored six rushing touchdowns per season. By comparison, 2021 was light work for Prescott.

A statistic shared by ESPN’s Ed Werner adds even more context to Prescott’s numbers last year.

According to Werner, “Prescott had career-low 7 runs for first downs. 33 QBs had more.”

That means at least two quarterbacks who weren’t starting for their franchises had even more first-down runs than Prescott, but that’s not cause for alarm. Prescott and the Cowboys have reiterated that the 28-year-old passer is feeling better than ever.

Head coach Mike McCarthy says that Prescott is “leaner” than last season, and with all the talk of lean, muscular quarterbacks like Jalen Hurts and Mac Jones dominating minicamp headlines, the news that Prescott is trimmer this year is a positive sign.

Of course, being a Cowboys fan means that optimism must often be tempered — but for now, it’s safe to revel in the news that Dallas will see a healthy Dak Prescott hitting the field this summer.