FRISCO, Texas – Head coach Mike McCarthy recently watched one of Dak Prescott's rehab sessions – what he described as the starting quarterback's most extensive work since last year's surgery to repair a serious right ankle injury – and came away impressed.
"He's throwing now, doing footwork drills. He's made a lot of progress," McCarthy said Tuesday. "Very disciplined in his regimen. He's here almost every day. I'd say he's right on track or maybe a little ahead of schedule.
"Just coming off the type of injury and his footwork, and he's doing all of the normal movements that you look to do in a quarterback school format this time of year."
Prescott missed the final 11 games last season after suffering a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle Oct. 11 against the Giants. He immediately underwent surgery to repair the injury and had a second, unrelated procedure in December to further strengthen ligaments around the ankle.
All along, the Cowboys have been confident Prescott would return to on-field football activities by spring. That has proven true, at least in terms of his individual rehab plan with the athletic training staff.
The Cowboys are currently in phase one of the voluntary offseason program, which is limited to virtual meetings with no on-field drills or work with coaches. Phase three (May 24-June 18) will consist of 10 voluntary OTAs (organized team activities) and mandatory team minicamp.
McCarthy on Tuesday didn't speculate whether Prescott would take part in those offseason workouts, and Prescott himself hasn't announced an exact timetable for his expected return this year. At a March press conference regarding his new four-year contract worth over $160 million, Prescott said "I'll be ready when it matters and I'll be more healthy and better than I was before."
While it's possible the Cowboys eye training camp as the target for Prescott's full return to practice and team drills, he is right where the club hoped he would be at this point in the offseason.
"He's just making a tremendous amount of progress and we feel he'll be 110% ready to go," Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones said.
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