One of the saddest things about Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott missing the last 9 games of the 2024 regular season was that he was absolutely en fuego in 2023 and playing the best football of his career.
Through the first part of training camp in 2025, one important stat seems to indicate Prescott might be coming back into his 2023 form.
“Dak Prescott completed 18 of 24 passes on Saturday, bringing his total to 61 of 91 in four padded practices,” ESPN’s Todd Archer wrote on August 2. “In those padded practices, Prescott has not been intercepted. There are times CeeDee Lamb does things that don’t seem real. While being blanketed on a go ball from Prescott by CB DaRon Bland, Lamb leaped for the ball, tipped it up in the air and yet somehow remained focused enough to grab it as he fell to the ground. Lamb ended with a go ball down the far sideline over CB Israel Mukuamu.”
While interceptions have never really been a problem for Prescott during the regular season, it’s important to point out that when the season is on the line he coughs it up with the best of them — 7 career playoff interceptions in 7 games.
Prescott’s Alarming Trend Before Injury
Prescott’s season ending injury in 2024 overshadowed one very important fact — he wasn’t playing very well when he got hurt.
When Prescott’s season ended, the Cowboys were 3-5 and in the middle of a 5-game losing streak that would ultimately cause their season to unwind. Through 8 games, Prescott had already thrown for 8 interceptions, putting him on track to surpass the career high 15 interceptions he threw in 2022.
If the Cowboys get the 2024 version of Prescott this year, it’s gonna be a problem. If they get the 2023 version, they could make the playoffs. In Prescott’s only NFL All-Pro season, he started every regular season game for the first time since 2019, threw for 4,516 yards and a career high 36 touchdowns to go with 9 interceptions. He also rushed for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns and finished as NFL Most Valuable Player runner-up behind Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Prescott Returns to Different World in NFC East
Even if Prescott regresses, the Cowboys are stuck with him.
That’s because of the 4-year, $240 million contract he signed before the 2024 season that made him the highest paid player in NFL history and contains $231 million in guaranteed money.
That money could be even more of a problem considering Prescott returns to a much different NFC East Division in 2025.
Before the 2024 season, there was little debate Prescott was the best quarterback in his division — especially coming off the season he just had. One year later, it’s almost unanimous that he’s the third best quarterback in the NFC East and there’s quite a bit of a gap between him and the second-best guy.
In Prescott’s absence, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts went out and won his first Super Bowl and earned Super Bowl MVP honors in the process.
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels led his team to its best season in 34 years with a 12-5 regular season record and appearance in the NFC Championship Game on the way to being named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
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