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When Dallas Cowboys star quarterback Dak Prescott first suffered a shoulder injury, many wondered if it would sideline him for the start of the 2021 NFL season. With the NFL Kickoff Game approaching, Prescott appears poised to make his return.
A few weeks into training camp, Prescott started experiencing soreness in his throwing shoulder. Tests revealed it was a unique injury, a right lat strain typically occurring among baseball players. While some, like Cowboys’ legend Troy Aikman, expressed skepticism about the optimism Dallas held for a quick return, everything seems to be on the right track.
Prescott received an MRI this past week revealing the strain is healing as expected. Dallas has since allowed him to resume light throwing at practicing and is easing him back into a normal workload.
- Dak Prescott stats (2019-’20): 6,758 passing yards, 65.9% completion rate, 39-15 TD-INT ratio, 99.7 passer rating
On Friday, vice president Stephen Jones provided even more reason to count on Prescott returning on schedule.
“In his mind, he’s ready to roll. We gotta almost protect him from himself, in a good way. He’s such a fiery competitor … He‘ll be just fine. As we said, just do it our way and this thing is gonna work out perfect.”
Dallas Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones on QB Dak Prescott, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota
Find out where Dak Prescott lands in Sportsnaut’s NFL top 100 player rankings
As HBO’s “Hard Knocks” demonstrated, the Pro Bowl quarterback is itching for clearance to resume throwing like before. The Cowboys have exercised caution with one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL, following advice given by the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees.
The plan is working, putting Prescott on track to make his 2021 debut when the 2021 season kicks off on September 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Cowboys are underdogs in the season opener, but one of the best offenses in the NFL could pull off an upset on primetime television.
