The Dallas Cowboys are officially playing with fire in regards to Dak Prescott. The Cowboys have already played two preseason games in which Dak hasn’t even suited up. With two more games remaining before their week one bout against the Super Bowl Champion Buccaneers, Dak Prescott will likely enter week one without seeing live-action in eleven months. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy spoke on the matter claiming, “there’s a good chance he probably won’t play. Yes, that’s fair.” If this is true, the Cowboys are setting Dak up for a rough week one return.
On October 11th, 2020, the Cowboys played their division rival Giants in a close, back and forth game. Late in the third quarter, Dak Prescott took off with the football, was tackled in a way that his ankle got trapped underneath the Giants defender, and suffered a compound fracture. The injury required two separate surgeries, one of which wasn’t made public until Dak bragged about keeping it a secret on HBO’s Hard Knocks. Now ten months removed from the initial injury, by all accounts, Dak’s ankle is fine. However, due to a shoulder injury the Cowboys say isn’t serious, Dak has been kept out of the preseason.
Whether the Cowboys are telling the truth or not, and it feels like they aren’t, Dak Prescott needs preseason action. Not only has it been ten months since Dak’s played, but it’s also been ten months since he faced a real pass rush. And though practice helps, it won’t prepare him for what the Cowboys face in week one.
Dak Versus the Bucs Pass Rush
The Buccaneer’s defense is bound to give offensive coordinators and quarterbacks nightmares this season. They had some rough patches during the 2020 season, but they ended it with their front-seven looking dominant. At the conclusion of the regular season, they were third in quarterback hurries, seventh in hurries per drop back, third in knockdowns, seventh in knockdown percentage, fourth in sacks, second in pressures, and third in pressure percentage. Not to mention they blitzed the second-most times of any defense and had the third-best blitz percentage. And with all eleven starters returning on defense, opposing offenses better watch out.
The good news for the Cowboys is that their offensive line will be back at full strength. The bad news is that their two starting tackles also dealt with season-ending injures last year. La’el Collins, 28, didn’t play a single game in 2020 with a hip injury, while Tyron Smith, 30, only played in two before being shut down with a neck injury. Even Zack Martin, 30, had to deal with his share of nagging injuries. In a way, being put against the Buccaneers pass rush week one is a cruel and unusual punishment.
Dak’s first game back has the potential for catastrophic consequences. He’ll face (arguably) the best defensive line in football, there’s no guarantee that his once-vaunted offensive line will be able to protect him, and it’s fair to question his mobility post-injury. Sure, it’ll be a great test for the offense, but Dak could wind up getting hurt again. Going eleven months without getting hit by a real pass rush, then facing the Bucs is a recipe for disaster. If the Cowboys hope to optimize their chances of winning week one, Dak Prescott needs to play this preseason.
