Dak Prescott to ramp up practice activity next week

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will begin ramping up activities in practice next week, team reporters confirmed on Friday.

Prescott suffered a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle in 2020, forcing him to undergo surgery and miss a significant portion of last season. This season, Prescott — after returning to full health in the preseason — tweaked his shoulder in practice. He left the July 28 practice with shoulder soreness and underwent an MRI that revealed a muscle strain.

It looks as though Prescott is now closer to returning to the gridiron as the Cowboys gave him the green light to ramp up practice activities.

“Sounds like quarterback Dak Prescott will begin to do more in practice next week as he continues to work his way back from a shoulder strain that has limited him since July 28,” a Friday update on the Cowboys’ website reads. “Head coach Mike McCarthy didn’t commit to a full plate of reps for Prescott, but it does sound like he’ll begin to ramp up some.”

McCarthy previously told reporters on Aug. 18 that there’s a good chance Prescott is sidelined for the remainder of the preseason. However, his practice schedule should start returning to normal after McCarthy met with the training staff.

“To be honest with you, we’re just trusting the training staff on this one. They’re counting every throw,” McCarthy said. “This is a volume regulation, endurance. There’s a big-picture outlook to this. He’ll definitely be involved in some form of practice more than this week. To stand here and tell you he’d be full go and take all the reps, I’m not there yet.”

Holding out Prescott has been in large part a precautionary move for the Cowboys, who don’t want to risk playing — and reinjuring — their star quarterback before the regular season begins. McCarthy has stood by his Aug. 18 comment that “there’s a good chance he probably won’t play,” as Prescott is still slated to miss the final two preseason games against the Houston Texans on Saturday and the Jacksonville Jaguars on Aug. 29.

But the Cowboys are fully prepared to have Prescott back for the season opener on Sept. 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Prescott being cleared to practice is a substantial leap in the right direction.

Prescott’s debut in the regular season will be his first game in-game action since his ankle injury against the Giants in Week 5 of last year’s regular season.