This much has become clear: Dak Prescott will not play the preseason, but the Cowboys quarterback will start the season opener Sept. 9 against the Buccaneers.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones reiterated that point Tuesday on his radio show, saying Prescott’s availability to open the season is not a question.
“I wouldn’t be nervous this morning as where he is in his recovery. He’s there,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan, via Mark Lane of WFAA. “I’d like for him to have this week of practice just to get ready to play Tampa, but, of course, we’ve got two weeks or two and a half weeks. But the bottom line is he’s there. Everything that we’re doing to mitigate any needless, as far as what it gains us, everything we can do to be extra careful about any issues he has are just not worth the gain out here at practice to not give him the rest, and that’s not uncommon. That’s very common for muscle pulls, soft issue-type injuries to give it some rest. So, that’s what we’re doing. When he wants to right now, he can let it go. Seen a lot of those exercises that he does as well as actually throwing the ball. That will increase as each day goes by, each practice goes by. That will increase as we go to Tampa.”
The question now is how Prescott will play with limited practice time during training camp and no preseason snaps. He has not played a game since Oct. 11 when he fractured and dislocated his right ankle.
The Cowboys are trying to build up Prescott’s throws as he works his way back from the shoulder strain, which was diagnosed after he pulled himself out of practice with shoulder soreness July 28.
“I would say 100 percent of any type of restriction that he’s having right now is his gain; One hundred percent is about later in the season,” Jones said. “I have no compunction about him going out there and playing against Tampa or for that matter playing early. I want to do everything we can so that there are no issues as we go on through the season, because we didn’t give it a little rest in the offseason.”