Dak Prescott uncertainty dampening expectations for Cowboys this season

Despite all of the annual hype around the Dallas Cowboys, playoff success has been scant in recent years.

Since 2000, the Cowboys have won just three playoff games and lost seven, failing to make it past the divisional round in the NFC.

Nevertheless, there are still big expectations in "Big D," especially with the NFC East viewed as perhaps the league's worst division.

Coming into the preseason, the Cowboys had an air of confidence about them.

For starters, by all accounts, Dak Prescott had successfully recovered from the devastating ankle injury he suffered last season.

Also, after a down year in 2020, with just 979 rushing yards, running back Ezekiel Elliott came into camp in the "best shape of his life," according to Prescott.

On the defensive side of the ball, which was historically bad a season ago, the Cowboys sent Mike Nolan packing and brought in Dan Quinn to shore things up.

Plus, they drafted standout linebacker Micah Parsons with the 12th overall pick, and the Penn State phenom has lived up to the hype in the early days of his NFL career.

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However, all that confidence has waned in recent weeks, largely due to Prescott's lingering shoulder injury.

The quarterback strained his throwing shoulder on July 28, and though it was presented as a minor tweak, it has been serious enough to keep the QB out of full practice for Dallas.

As a result, Prescott won't get any game action this preseason, setting him up for a return in the curtain-raiser for the season Sept. 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

One man who isn't wavering in his optimism is Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

When asked about Prescott's recovery, Jones dispelled any notion of nerves.

"I wouldn't be nervous this morning as to where he is in his recovery," Jones told 105.3 The Fan. "He's there. I'd like for him to have this week of practice just to get ready to play Tampa, but we've got two weeks. The bottom line is he's there."

Skip Bayless wasn't buying it on Tuesday's episode of "Undisputed."

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To Colin Cowherd of "The Herd," the Cowboys lack the edginess required to be a top-level team.

In fact, HBO's "Hard Knocks," which focuses on the Cowboys during training camp this season, revealed a lot to Cowherd on Tuesday night. In the episode, there was a three-minute drone shot showcasing Dallas' facility, and that got Cowherd thinking. 

"I've never seen anything like it," Cowherd said. "And then I thought, ‘Yeah, I have.’ It's called a country club. This is why the Cowboys are a soft football organization. 

"… The Dallas Cowboys ⁠— they're trust-fund kids. They've never stayed at anything in the last 25 years that's not a Ritz Carlton. … Folks, it's not the same. You stay at that Ritz Carlton for the weekend, it'll take the edge off real quick."

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ESPN's Max Kellerman isn't buying the hype around the Cowboys, either.

"I don't think they're going to win the NFC East," he said. "They might come in third in the NFC East. There's a chance they could come in last in the NFC East. There's a chance. … Every year we head into the season saying, ‘Dallas, this is the year!’ … With a healthy Dak Prescott last year, they were sub .500. With a healthy Dak Prescott the year before in a full season, they were .500."

Will this be the year the Cowboys put everything together and pick up an elusive playoff win?

According to FOX Bet, Dallas is favored to make the postseason at -175, meaning a bet of $10 would win a total of $15.71.

What the Cowboys will do if and when they get there, however, is anyone's guess.

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