Cowboys’ 2021 hopes rest on health of Dak Prescott

The Dallas Cowboys finished third in the NFC East last year. However with Dak Prescott back, they could vault into the  playoffs. 

Once Dak Prescott went down in October, so did the chances of the Dallas Cowboys.

Prescott’s gruesome ankle/leg injury against the New York Giants was the final dagger in an ugly, bizarre and chaotic Cowboys season which began with some proclaiming Super Bowl dreams, and ending with six wins.

However, Prescott’s rehab over the past eight months has gone well enough that Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy believes his starting quarterback will not only be back for training camp, but June’s minicamp as well. Per ESPN:

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“He’ll do most things. There’s a plan in place that’s coordinated with [athletic trainers Britt Brown and Jim Maurer] and the training room so I know he feels really good. He’s really had some excellent workouts here in the last couple weeks. I’d see him doing most of the work.”

Last season, Prescott threw for 1,856 yards and nine touchdowns over five games before being placed on Injured Reserve. In March, the 27-year-old finally cashed in with Dallas, signing a robust four-year, $160 million deal. Surrounded by receivers CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper, along with running back Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys have an offense high-powered enough to make moves in the weak NFC East.

However, the defense remains a chief concern. In the draft, Cowboys management addressed said side the ball aggressively, but it still might be one of the leakier units in football until further notice.

With that in mind, much of Dallas’ 2021 fate rests on the right arm — and the health — of Prescott.

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Consider the NFC East for a moment, and you’ll understand the reality. If Prescott is healthy, he’s a top 10 quarterback league-wide and certainly capable of driving Dallas to between 8-9 wins at the least. In the division are the rebuilding Philadelphia Eagles, a quarterback-less Washington Football Team and the New York Giants, who, frankly, are talented but also holding their collective breath waiting for Daniel Jones to blossom.

Dallas isn’t getting the hype it got a year ago at this time, and rightfully so. But if the Cowboys get a healthy year from Prescott, there’s reason to believe they can be a problem into the postseason.