Chris Broussard pinpoints reason limiting Dak Prescott to produce MVP level stats in 2025

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is hoping for a bounce-back 2025 season after a season-ending injury ended his 2024 campaign prematurely. After finishing second in the NFL MVP voting in 2023, the star quarterback's momentum slowed last season because of a hamstring ailment and inconsistent play.

NFL analyst Chris Broussard believes the Cowboys star will not be able to deliver elite-level numbers in 2025, despite Prescott's declaration that he will return to full strength for the start of training camp.

"I expect him to play well," Broussard said on the First Things First podcast on Tuesday. "I think he will have a good season, but the years that he has had 30+ touchdowns and more than 4,000 yards passing, he had a strong running game."

Boussard asserts that Prescott is often at his best when the Cowboys have a potent rushing offense.

"In his rookie season, he was great, especially for a rookie," Broussard said. "He had Ezekiel Elliott leading the league in rushing. The next time he did it in 2019, Elliot was great with almost 1,400 yards. The next time he did it, he had Zeke and Tony Pollard trying to emerge. Then the last year he did it, Tony Pollard rushed for 1,000 yards."

However, he feels the club doesn't have that this season.

"They don't have good running backs," Boussard added. "Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders have not averaged four yards per carry since 2022."

While Prescott will get the chance to throw the ball to the likes of CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Jalen Tolbert and Jake Ferguson in offense, Boussard believes that the uncertainty surrounding the team's run game may limit his ability to produce an MVP-caliber performance this season.

Cowboys' rushing game an area of concern

It remains to be seen if Dak Prescott can bounce back this year; however, the Dallas Cowboys indeed face a challenging situation with their rushing game this season.

Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle, the team's two top rushers from 2024, are not on the roster this year. The Cowboys have replaced them with veterans Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams. However, it is not expected that the new arrivals will significantly improve the unit.

Neither Williams nor Sanders has averaged more than 3.7 yards per rush in the NFL in the past two seasons.

Deuce Vaughn, a third-year rusher, and two rookies, Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah, are also in the Cowboys' running back room this year. Some of these players can contribute, but it's difficult to see the Cowboys thriving in the rushing game with this group.

Given the circumstances, the national media has valid grounds to be skeptical of the Cowboys' dire backfield situation as the new season approaches. It will be interesting to see whether or how that influences Prescott's output.