Dak Prescott impresses in workout before Cowboys preseason game

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott’s shoulder strain has been one of the most discussed and scrutinized injuries in the NFL during fall camp.

The signal-caller has been held out of Cowboys practices since July 28th due to a latissimus strain in his right shoulder.

Dallas is a completely different team with their franchise quarterback under center and everyone wants to know when he’ll be able to return to the field.

From the looks of his workout tonight before the Cowboys‘ preseason game against the Texans, it could be very soon. Prescott completed 51 of his 52 pass attempts in his pregame workout. It was against air, but these are still incredibly encouraging signs for Dallas Cowboys’ fans.

After 17 warmup throws from 10 to 20 yards, Cowboys QB Dak Prescott held a workout tonight during which he completed 51 of 52 passes on air to RB Ezekiel Elliott and WR T.J. Vasher. On lone miss, Prescott was too long on deep throw to Elliott down right boundary. pic.twitter.com/Plrerrroug

— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) August 21, 2021

There are a number of other encouraging signs with Prescott’s injury, according to a few different reports tonight.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones discussed Dak’s recovery with reporters at the game and said, “He threw with authority and accuracy before the game,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan before the game, via Jon Machota of TheAthletic.com. “If we were lining up against Tampa tonight, he’d be starting, and we’d feel great about it.”

According to the write-up on ProFootballTalk by Charean Williams, Prescott returned to practice this week and the Cowboys expect to build up his volume of throws in practice next week.

Dak ready for Week 1?

Even more encouraging signs for Prescott are the reports that he’s going to be ready to play on week one.

According to a report from ESPN’s Stephania Bell, Dak Prescott is expected to be a “full-go” for week one of the NFL regular season. Prescott has been held out of team drills since late July because of the latissimus strain in his right shoulder.

Speculation surrounding Prescott’s shoulder injury

The opinions have varied wildly in the past few weeks on the health of Prescott’s right shoulder.

There are people like ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who believe that his shoulder issue is connected to the recovery from his ankle injury he suffered in the 2020 season. Schefter thinks his shoulder injury possibly resulted from his ankle injury.

ProFootballTalk’s Chris Simm’s believes that Prescott’s current throwing motion looks different. Below is a quote from Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.

“Simms has said that Prescott’s throwing motion looks different, possibly because he’s overcompensating with his arm for a back foot that he’s reluctant to plant (consciously or not) as aggressively as he did before suffering the broken ankle.”

Dallas Cowboys’ Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin has stated he feels the Cowboys are hiding the fact that Prescott has a major injury.

He has stated multiple times that he feels Dak’s injury is more serious than the Cowboys have been telling the general public.

“I told you a couple of weeks ago, I said, ‘I’m worried about what I’m seeing with Dak’s shoulder,’” the former wideout explained on The Michael Irvin Podcast. “I’ve been watching on TV when I was there at camp, and he was throwing the ball back to the guy that was snapping it to him with his left hand. He was only taking snaps, wouldn’t even raise the right hand to throw the ball two yards. I was like, ‘Oh no. Oh no.’ There’s something bigger going on here that they’re not telling us.”

If Prescott is indeed healthy and ready to go for Week 1, it would put to bed all of the speculation surrounding his shoulder injury and the recovery process.

The Dallas Cowboys next game will be against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Aug. 29. Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM EST.