It’s the time of year when players across the league are getting big fat checks for their efforts. Dak Prescott got one on Monday; his was made of cardboard.
The Cowboys quarterback made an appearance in Las Colinas at a branch of Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, the restaurant chain he co-owns. He was there to celebrate the location’s re-opening after COVID-19 forced it to close for a while. He was surprised with a $20,000 donation for his Faith, Fight, Finish Foundation during the event, but also addressed what has been a busy offseason for both the team and the 28-year-old passer.
Of primary importance for the assembled media was Prescott’s shoulder. He had cleanup surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder shortly after the team’s postseason ouster, as revealed by head coach Mike McCarthy at the NFL scouting combine last month. But Prescott assured everyone that he is on track with his rehab.
“It’s great, I can do everything with it,” Prescott explained per the Dallas Morning News, even pumping his arm jokingly for effect. “I’m fine.”
Dak Prescott is at a ribbon-cutting at a re-opening of a Walk-On’s restaurant in Irving, Texas.
Kid yells: “Dak, we’re winning the Super Bowl this year!”
Dak: “Damn right.” pic.twitter.com/ipuKl0m3Gl
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) March 21, 2022
Prescott skipped the Pro Bowl to get started on an offseason’s worth of relaxing and prep work following his lengthy 2020 recovery from an ankle dislocation and compound fracture. A strained throwing shoulder and calf strain followed. Now he’s on the comeback trail once again, but making good progress and is not expected to miss any offseason work.
“I’m right there. Obviously, I didn’t get to throw quite as quickly as I wanted to, dealing with this,” Prescott said. “But where I am, I’m [rehabbing it] a couple of times a week, and I will increase that as time goes forward.”
Time has moved on for several of Prescott’s teammates, too: most notably, wideout targets Amari Cooper and Cedrick Wilson, as well as offensive lineman La’el Collins. Cooper and Wilson were frequent visitors to Prescott’s backyard field for informal practice sessions; Collins was one of Prescott’s closest locker room friends.
Now all three are ex-Cowboys.
“This is the hardest part of the league to me,” Prescott said, “just watching teammates and friends, watching men who you have grown up with the past few years on the field and off the field leave, depart, and just understand that’s the business of this game. Sharing words with both of those guys and how much they’ve impacted my career, how much they mean to me as people as players, and I’m excited for them.”
With that roster churn will come new faces. While fans have been impatient with the front office’s lack of splashy veteran signings in free agency, Prescott knows there’s more than one way to build a team, and a long time in which the Cowboys can still do it.
“Things are not done. Free agency isn’t done,” Prescott said. “The draft is not done. A lot of the roster is to come. I handle the things that I can control. Handle the guys that are in the locker room, making sure we are growing and starting our brotherhood and our culture. Just progressing to get where we want to be.”
Prescott has already turned the page mentally to having a new WR1 in the huddle with him. CeeDee Lamb is now set to be the undisputed top target in the Cowboys’ passing attack, and Prescott is confident that the third-year receiver is ready to ascend to the throne.
“Yeah, there is no doubt he is,” Prescott said. “You look at a guy like CeeDee and what he’s done in his first two years, and it’s exciting just to know it’s only the beginning, and he hasn’t even scratched the surface. For him to be the one, to be the main guy, I know he’s going to be ready for it.”
And Prescott maintains he’ll be ready, too, earning his paychecks of the real variety, just as soon as offseason workouts begin.
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