Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott told the media on Tuesday he is healthy and ready to be a full-go at the start of training camp, pending one more checkup from the team doctors. Prescott will be returning from hamstring surgery and as the team leader is about to turn 32 years old this month, his ability to stay on the field is paramount to the team’s success.

Prescott tore his hamstring in a Week 9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, considered a “partial avulsion.” Prescott was not playing up to expectations from the 2023 season prior to the injury, where he finished second in MVP voting.

• 2023: 12-5, 265.6 passing YPG, 36 passing touchdowns, 9 interceptions, 69.5% completions, 105.9 passer rating
• 2024: 3-5, 247.3 passing YPG, 11 passing touchdowns, 8 interceptions, 64.7% completions, 86.0 passer rating

Several factors could have contributed to Prescott’s drop in production from one year to the other. The Cowboys weren’t aggressive in free agency and lost Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz on the offensive line, while losing Tony Pollard in the backfield, and the defense was struggling to keep other teams from scoring and running the ball down their throat. Mainly, CeeDee Lamb became the #1 guy, and the only guy, so teams were double-teaming the talented receiver.

This offseason, the Cowboys have corrected some of their mistakes from a year prior. They have improved their offensive line coaching staff, made strides in their running back room, and acquired George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Prescott will be coming back to a different team this year, and even a different head coach.

Prescott gets a lot of flak for being the franchise quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. It’s the best pastime for the media and casual fans, but this team looks significantly worse without Dak Prescott on the field and healthy. You can say the same for every other NFL team without their starting quarterback, especially one they have financially committed to, like the Cowboys have to Prescott in his 4-year, $240 million deal he signed hours before last season’s opening week.

Teams have backups in place for a reason, but the Cowboys lost both Cooper Rush (Ravens) and Trey Lance (Chargers) this offseason. The Cowboys did acquire Joe Milton III in a trade with the New England Patriots, who selected Milton in the 6th round of the 2024 NFL Draft. With flashes in the last preseason, the Cowboys were more intrigued by Milton than any of the prospects in the later rounds of this year’s draft.

Hopefully, Joe Milton III will never see the field, but that wasn’t the reality for the Cowboys this year and it hasn’t been.

In 2020, Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 5. In the 2022 season, Prescott injured his thumb and missed 5 weeks while Cooper Rush swooped in and kept the team afloat during Prescott’s absence. Since 2020, Prescott has played in 69% of the games (58 of 84). When your quarterback misses that many games, it’s hard for a team to succeed.

Prescott was Tony Romo’s successor in 2016 when Romo went down in the preseason with a compression fracture in his back. Romo had a reputation in his later years of being glass, but from 2011-2014, Romo only missed two games before he suffered a shoulder injury in 2015. Even then, Romo held out hope to get back on the field and delayed surgery until the Cowboys were 4-10 and out of playoff contention.

Romo was known for battling through injury to be on the field for his team, but his career was likely cut short by repetitive back issues. Fortunately for Prescott, all of these injuries seem exclusive.

Romo was also 36 years old when Prescott replaced him, as opposed to Dak Prescott being 32. When Romo was 32, he seemed to be in his prime for the Cowboys and everything was clicking for him. If Prescott can stay healthy and gets along with Brian Schottenheimer and the new offensive coaching staff, Prescott could see these next four years be his prime.

The idea of Prescott entering his prime should excite the Cowboys fanbase. He gives the Cowboys their best chance to succeed. His health will likely depend more on finding stability and cohesion with the offensive line.

Anyone concerned about Dak Prescott’s health should take a deep breath. Prescott still has a lot of tread on his tires, and while he has missed games recently, this shouldn’t be a worry moving forward. His full participation in training camp would be a good sign that the team doctors feel confident Prescott is healthy and ready to go for the 2025 season.