When Dak Prescott played at Mississippi State, he used his legs often. He even flirted with 1,000 yards in 2014, going for 986 with 14 touchdowns on the ground. He never ran that much for the Dallas Cowboys, but he still used his legs early in his career.
Prescott had at least 277 yards rushing in each of his first four seasons and scored 21 touchdowns on the ground. Then in 2020, he suffered a broken ankle in Week 5 and was slow to take off once he returned to action.
Since 2021, he’s never had more than two rushing touchdowns in a season and this year, he has just 24 yards on the ground. That’s led to questions since the offense needs some type of spark, and perhaps a few first downs courtesy of Prescott’s legs would help
According to team owner Jerry Jones, however, Prescott is doing the right thing by avoiding the run. Jones believes his franchise quarterback is being smart and avoiding an injury by trying to stay in the pocket.
“You really don’t want to see him… you don’t want to see him really take off with that ball. These quarterbacks that run, you know they’re going to get injured. And that happens. It happens to the youngest. It happens to the best. It’s happened to Dak. To the end that we rely on him to stay healthy, that’s an important part of it. I wouldn’t say it’s up there in red letters in the practice facility ‘don’t run’, but I would say that we want him to be smart about it. And he is being smart about. He will, when he sees the opportunity, pull it down and run with it as we know.” — Jones on 105.3 The Fan, via RJ Ochoa
Jones is correct that QBs can get injured more when they run the ball, but let’s be honest — thanks to this offensive line, Prescott is getting hit just as much in the pocket as he would running. Maybe sprinkling in a run now and then wouldn’t be the worst idea.
Has Cowboys QB Dak Prescott lost his mobility?
At the beginning of his career, Dak Prescott was considered a dual-threat quarterback. Now, the Dallas Cowboys star almost looks immobile.
After Prescott threw two interceptions in Sunday’s 30-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, The Dallas Morning News’ Tim Cowlishaw claimed the QB “can’t run,” which is his “biggest problem.”
“On the morning of the season opener in Cleveland, the Cowboys signed Dak to the biggest contract in NFL history, a $60M average per year price tag that will hold up for at least a few months and keep him in the top five most likely for years to come,” wrote Cowlishaw. “But even if [owner] Jerry Jones paid him to be Dak The Immortal, Prescott has given the Cowboys Dak The Immobile.”
Through his first seven starts, Prescott is averaging career lows in rushing attempts per game (1.4) and rushing yards per game (3.4). Additionally, he has been sacked 18 times, tied for the 10th most in the league.
It’s unclear whether Prescott, 31, has lost some of his mobility or Dallas has convinced him not to run.
Per ESPN’s Todd Archer, Jones said, “I think it’s both” when asked whether Prescott doesn’t want to run or can’t Tuesday on KRLD-FM in Dallas. Jones then backtracked, saying Prescott can still run, but he wants him to avoid potential injuries.
In October 2020, Prescott suffered a season-ending right ankle fracture against the New York Giants. The Cowboys finished the season 6-10.
This offseason, Prescott was spotted wearing a walking boot on his right foot while on vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. However, he signaled that it was just a precaution.
Regardless, the Cowboys should encourage Prescott to use his wheels more.
Prescott could add some punch to Dallas’ lackluster ground attack. Against the Niners, San Francisco QB Brock Purdy had the same amount of rushing yards (56) as the Cowboys.
More importantly, scrambling could improve Prescott’s play.
In 17 regular-season games last season, he rushed for 242 yards, his highest figure since 2019, and recorded 36 TD passes and nine interceptions. This season, he has 10 TD passes and eight picks.
Prescott shouldn’t emulate Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, but he should use his legs here and there. That may give Dallas an offensive boost after a 3-4 start.
