2024 was a rough season for the Dallas Cowboys. Stalwart quarterback Dak Prescott was lost after a Week 9 hamstring injury, and the offense was stagnant for the rest of the season.
The Cowboys allowed Mike McCarthy’s contract to expire and promoted Brian Schottenheimer to head coach. The former offensive coordinator needs to get his offense rolling in 2025, and the team recently got good news about its franchise quarterback.
Cowboys Get Positive Report on Dak Prescott’s Recovery
Prescott was off to a rocky start in 2024 before getting injured. Dallas was 3-4 heading into its Week 9 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, with the quarterback throwing 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions through the first seven games. He managed one score against Atlanta before going down and finished 2024 with 11 touchdowns and 1,978 yards.
Cooper Rush filled in at quarterback, but the offense lacked explosiveness the rest of the season, finishing No. 23 in PFSN’s Offense+ metric. Rush did admirably in his first extended action as a starter, going 4-4 while throwing for 1,844 yards and 12 touchdowns. However, Dallas’ skill players weren’t overly productive without Prescott.
CeeDee Lamb’s production dipped, with the receiver posting 1,194 yards and six touchdowns. The second-most productive receiver was Jalen Tolbert, who recorded 610 yards.
The rushing attack was abysmal for most of 2024. Rico Dowdle led the team with 1,079 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Ezekiel Elliott contributed three rushing touchdowns, but only chipped in 226 yards over 15 games.
This unit needs a shot in the arm in 2025, and they recently found out Prescott’s recovery is going well.
Stephen Jones on Dak Prescott's health coming off hamstring surgery: "Dak's doing great. He's very thrilled with where he is, and I know the trainers are too. I feel like he's doing a hell of a job."
He said Prescott will have "some limitations," in the offseason program.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) March 30, 2025
ESPN NFL Nation reporter Todd Archer tweeted, “Stephen Jones on Dak Prescott’s health coming off hamstring surgery: ‘Dak’s doing great. He’s very thrilled with where he is, and I know the trainers are too. I feel like he’s doing a hell of a job.’ He said Prescott will have ‘some limitations’ in the offseason program.”
A healthy Prescott means the Dallas offense can operate the way it’s designed to. Lamb benefits the most from his quarterback being back. In 2023, the receiver posted 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns while leading the league with 135 receptions.
The Cowboys won the NFC East that year with a 12-5 record, and Prescott was rewarded with a $240 million contract. He became the highest-paid player in the NFL, but losing half a season to injury wasn’t in Dallas’ plans when they gave Prescott the deal.
2025 is a massive year for Schottenheimer to prove himself as a head coach, and it’s also huge for Prescott to show he’s worth his contract.