"I ain’t scared": When Dak Prescott pushed past physical injury for 'quick' return on-field

Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is a durable athlete with a 5.00 rating on Shark Drafts, 5 being the most durable. The rating may sound hard to believe since the QB has suffered seven injuries since 2019. However, Prescott’s strong will to be on the field makes him a hard nut to crack, at times willing to risk his body to be on the field again.

Back in September 2021, Prescott was coming back from an injury that he suffered in July of that year, a right shoulder sprain. Almost 11 months prior, he suffered a season-ending injury in his right ankle. But more than being concerned about his return, Prescott was excited to be back with the boys again. During a footage in HBO’s Hard Knocks in 2021, he told his teammates and coaches,

“I’m ain’t scared. I put a little touch on that one; it worked out,” Prescott further added, “Let’s be smooth, let’s run fast, let’s get in and out.”

Prescott looked good running drills with his teammates, in which he connected with RB Zeke Elliott, RB Tony Pollard, WR Amari Cooper, TE Blake Jarwin, and Dalton Schultz. After the sessions, Elliott told the media that Dak looked pretty good.

“I’m definitely ready,” Prescott said after his practice session on Aug 25.

Dak Prescott had a new problem upon his return from injury

But when he was finally back on the field, he had other problems to cater to. He said,

“I’m telling you: I’m playing quick mentally.”

“I was playing ahead of the game in a sense because when I’m not out there, in your head, you’re going, ‘bam, bam, bam, checkdown, kill the run to that run, get to this, get to that,’” Prescott said. “Obviously when you’re in there, you say, ‘Wait a minute, I’ve got to settle down and know the real speed of things. That (line)backer’s traveling, but I can make this throw behind him. That wasn’t a dirty window. I didn’t have to get to the checkdown that fast.”

Dak Prescott’s stats justify his words too. Before his injury in the previous season, he completed 68% of his passes for 1856 yards and nine TDs. In the 2021 season, he completed 410 of his 596 passes for 4449 yards and 37 TDs. These numbers came despite a calf strain he sustained during a week 6 win against New England, once again proving his durability.