Jerry Jones is unhappy overall about Ezekiel Elliott missing six games, but the Dallas Cowboys owner still sees a bright side with Dak Prescott.
During an interview with 105.3 The Fan, Jones said while he doesn’t recommended this situation, Prescott is a better player for having to deal with Elliott’s absence. Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News shared Jones’ comments:
“We know that [Prescott has] got an unordinary talent. So, we’re just better, frankly. It hurt us to miss Zeke, but as far as Dak is concerned, we’ve got a better player for having gone through this.”
Prescott initially struggled when Elliott began serving his six-game suspension. During losses to the Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Chargers over a three-week span, he mustered just 593 yards of offense and one touchdown. He also tossed five interceptions while the Cowboys scored 22 total points.
But the quarterback has recovered in a big way.
In recent wins over Washington and the New York Giants, Prescott collected 487 offensive yards and tossed five scores with no interceptions. Dallas racked up 78 points during the two victories.
The Cowboys are unquestionably a more dangerous offensive team when Elliott is healthy, but the experience Prescott has gained leading the offense without the running back certainly is valuable. Nobody can predict whether Elliott will always be healthy or available to play.
Dallas would rather not encounter this situation, but the team can be convinced Prescott will be better prepared if it happens again.