Dak Prescott to get another MRI, still hoping to play week 1

Dak Prescott suffered a shoulder injury in late July and, although he and the team don't seem concerned about its severity as of now, the Dallas Cowboys announced on Wednesday night that the quarterback is planning to get another MRI on his shoulder when the team returns home from training camp in Oxnard.

Prescott was recently spotted throwing the ball to Amari Cooper, who's also injured. The quarterback told reporters that he's on a pitch count and it's just light throwing as he tries to get back into rhythm over the next few weeks.

"Once I get back in the team setting, I'm not going to think about my arm. It's about progressing at the right time. It all felt good out there. Every throw I made. When they tell you stop, you don't want to hear it, but you do."

It's not a setback. And it's not a reason to worry. But QB Dak Prescott is planning on getting another MRI.

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 12, 2021

Is Prescott at risk to miss the start of the regular season?

As of now, the Cowboys are making it look like it's not a setback on his recovery and that he should be fully healthy to start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 9, although there's some skepticism to it.

Troy Aikman on Dak Prescott's shoulder injury: "The Cowboys are downplaying it, but I think when your franchise quarterback is missing the amount of time he's missing, I tend to think it's probably a little bit more significant than what they have led on."

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 6, 2021

Obviously, the injury concerns regarding Prescott are not limited to his throwing shoulder. His 2020 season ended prematurely when he suffered a horrific ankle injury and the Cowboys' season derailed since then, with Andy Dalton not even close to Prescott's level.

He also signed a massive 4-year, $160 million contract extension in March that finally saw his high level of play rewarded after many years of discussions and franchise tags.

Prescott hopes to see action on the field against the Houston Texans on August 21, for week 2 of the preseason. But if his shoulder isn't fully healthy by then, there's absolutely no reason for the Cowboys to let him play. Prescott is not the kind of player that needs any preseason reps at all.

Cowboys should be conservative with Prescott's health

Dallas will open the regular season against the reigning champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the NFL Kickoff in September 9.

The cold, hard truth is that the Cowboys are not the favorites in this game. If Prescott's shoulder is not fully healed by then, wouldn't the best decision be to sit the quarterback for the first week and not take any risks? After all, their chance of upsetting the reigning champions isn't as big as one would think, even with Prescott under center.

There's no rush to put Prescott on the field, especially in a game where the chances of a Cowboys win are slim. Dallas should be smart with their quarterback's health and only let him play when he's 100%.