The final two games of Week 1 of the 2024 NFL preseason are on Sunday, meaning the final four teams will finally get on the field.
So far, some starters have played for their respective teams, but many didn’t. For the Dallas Cowboys, will Dak Prescott play at all?
Is Dak Prescott Playing vs. Rams?
Prescott was held out of the team’s light practice on Friday with ankle soreness. This came after the team’s joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday.
According to the team, it was for “precautionary reasons” and is not considered serious. However, Prescott will not play in the team’s preseason game.
Prescott has not played in a preseason game since Mike McCarthy took over as the team’s head coach in 2020. As a result, Prescott likely won’t play in Weeks 2 or 3 of the preseason, either.
According to ESPN, the Cowboys had their most competitive practice of training camp on Thursday, and Prescott did not appear limited in his movements at all. Recently turning 31, Prescott will become a free agent after the 2024 season if the Cowboys cannot extend him to a long-term deal.
“I just want to see him go out and have another good day,” said McCarthy ahead of Thursday’s practice. “I think Dak’s having an excellent camp … It’ll be really good to get the [different] defensive looks [from what he’s been seeing in practice]. Just go out, be productive, and have a hell of a day.”
Prescott’s health is always something being watched, as he’s dealt with some injuries in his career. Last month, he briefly wore a walking boot for what was described as a right foot sprain from pre-training camp workouts. Prescott had also suffered a major ankle injury in 2020 and a calf sprain the following year.
The Cowboys do not return for full practice until Tuesday, with Saturday being a walkthrough and Sunday being the preseason game against the Rams. Prescott has not missed a training camp practice since suffering a strained right latissimus dorsi in 2021.
With Prescott missing the game, Cooper Rush and Trey Lance will split the rest of the reps. Lance is currently third-string and will be fighting for a spot on the roster after the Cowboys traded a fourth-round pick for him ahead of the 2023 season.
In 2024, Prescott is coming off the best season of his career. On the road to MVP contention, he threw for 4,516 yards, 36 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, alongside a 69.5% completion percentage in 2023. His 105.9 rating was the best of his career.
If Prescott can duplicate those numbers again in 2024, there’s no way he won’t become the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL with the way the market has gone.
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