Cowboys' Dak Prescott: Confidence is at an 'all-time high'
Dak Prescott is looking to get back on track for the Dallas Cowboys, and in the quarterback's eyes, he's in an optimal state of mind to do so.
"Our plan's in right now; just went out there and practiced it. Obviously, we'll cross our t's and dot our i's and iron out the rest of it over these next couple of days, but my comfort level is at an all-time high," Prescott told ESPN Thursday.
Prescott and the Cowboys open the 2023 NFL season on the road against the NFC East-rival New York Giants on Sunday night. Dallas swept its season series with New York last season and has won 11 of the last 12 matchups.
That said, Prescott is coming off arguably the worst season of his seven-year NFL career. This past season, Prescott missed five games due to a thumb injury and was shaky when he returned to play; he totaled 2,860 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns, an NFL-high 15 interceptions and a 91.1 passer rating, while completing 66.2% of his passes across 12 games.
Furthermore, Dallas lost offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to the Los Angeles Chargers in the offseason and promoted Brian Schottenheimer to the position. Head coach Mike McCarthy will call plays on that side of the ball this season.
This browser does not support the Video element.
On the roster front, Dallas placed the franchise tag on running back Tony Pollard, while releasing longtime back Ezekiel Elliott. Elsewhere, it acquired veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks from the Houston Texans and selected tight end Luke Schoonmaker with the No. 58 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to replace outgoing tight end Dalton Schultz. More recently, the Cowboys gave right guard Zack Martin a new two-year, $36 million contract and acquired quarterback and former No. 3 overall draft pick Trey Lance from the San Francisco 49ers.
This browser does not support the Video element.
The Cowboys finished the 2022 regular season 12-5, good for second in the NFC East, prior to losing to the 49ers in the NFC Divisional round.
Prescott, a two-time Pro Bowler and the Cowboys' primary starting quarterback since 2016, has two seasons remaining on a four-year, $160 million deal.