Cowboys QB Dak Prescott expects to be ready for Week 1 after hamstring surgery

Dak Prescott isn’t ready to set a target date for when he’ll be at full strength, but he’s preparing to be under center when the Dallas Cowboys take the field in Week 1.

“I’m not gonna put a timeline on it, but I’ll be ready for the first game and when anything matters and very, very ready,” the quarterback told reporters of his hamstring rehab at the launching of the Girl’s Flag Football League, via Cowboys.com. “I’m feeling good. I’m doing more and more. The last two weeks have been huge and progressive for me.

“I wouldn’t say I’m running full speed yet,” Prescott added. “But everything’s on the right track, and I’m excited.”

When Prescott went under the knife to repair a partial tendon avulsion in his right hamstring in November, he was immediately ruled out for the remainder of the season. But it was also expected that he would be sidelined from any activity for at least a few months, potentially putting him behind when offseason workouts begin on April 7.

However, the Cowboys seem pretty optimistic about where things stand with Prescott at this point in the offseason.

“He’s doing great, kicking ass with rehab,” Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said in an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio at the NFL Scouting Combine this week. “Everything with that’s going great.”

Whenever Prescott completes his rehab, his attention will presumably turn to helping the Cowboys get back to the postseason after missing the playoffs in 2024. While Prescott’s injury served as a death knell in Dallas’ playoff hopes, the veteran didn’t have the best year, either. He threw for 1,978 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions as Dallas went 3-5 in the eight games he started. Moreover, Prescott’s yards per attempt (6.9) and completion percentage (64.7) were the second-worst marks of his career while his passer rating (86) was a career low.

The Cowboys got rid of head coach Mike McCarthy as a result of their disappointing 7-10 season, but they took an unconventional route in replacing him. They promoted Schottenheimer to head coach after he served as the offensive coordinator for the previous two seasons. Although Schottenheimer didn’t call plays, he helped Prescott have a career year in 2023.

Schottenheimer said that he and Prescott understand what the quarterback’s good at and how he can flourish. He believes that spending the last couple of seasons working together will be a benefit in 2025.

“He and I are very close, we see the game the same way,” Schottenheimer said. “We’re definitely going to make some adjustments and there’s things that he’s really gonna like. I really do think that this is a guy that there’s no question can win a championship. He can lead us to a championship; I think he’s gonna lead us to a championship. That’s the goal. And it’s not just as a player, he’s an incredible player, but the person, the leader is just different.”

Prescott is entering the first year of a record-setting four-year, $240 million extension he signed just hours before the Cowboys began the 2024 season. Even though Prescott finished as the MVP runner-up in 2023 with 4,516 passing yards and 36 touchdown passes, he’s gone 2-5 in his postseason career. 

Suffice to say, the 2025 season will be a big one for Prescott, but he’ll be ready to go when it begins. 

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