As he returned from a serious ankle injury, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was significantly limited as a runner in 2021. Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy doesn’t think that will be the case in 2022.
McCarthy said today that he plans to put more called quarterback runs in the Cowboys’ offense this season, saying that Prescott now looks completely healed from the ankle injury and ready to make more plays with his legs than he did last year.
Prescott has been impressive with his offseason workouts and is quicker, leaner and more flexible than he was last year, McCarthy said.
For the first five years of his career, running the ball was a major part of Prescott’s game: He averaged 5.1 yards per carry and 1.5 rushing first downs per game from 2016 to 2020. But in 2021, Prescott averaged just 3.0 yards per carry and 0.4 rushing first downs per game.
If Prescott can use his legs more effectively in 2022, that opens up a lot more possibilities for a Cowboys offense that was already good last year even without Prescott able to do everything.