Veteran quarterback Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys continue to dominate in the 2021 NFL season. Since they faced Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1, the Cowboys are yet to lose a game again. As of now, they are on a five-game winning streak, sitting at the top spot in the NFC East with a 5-1 record.
Recently, Prescott experienced another health scare when he suffered a right calf strain in their 35-29 victory over the New England Patriots.
More than a week since their game against the Patriots, Prescott seemed to be showing a massive improvement with his rehabilitation. According to Todd Archer of ESPN, the 28-year-old quarterback is no longer showing "ill effects" from the right calf strain he acquired in Week 6 of the 2021 NFL season.
Though he did not participate in the individual footwork drill with the other quarterbacks, Prescott was reportedly seen throwing passes to his running backs, receivers, and tight ends without any issues.
With the improvements that he has shown in their practice, some people are wondering if Prescott will be joining the Cowboys when they go up against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8 of the 2021 NFL season. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is happy to see Prescott making a speedy recovery, but he said that he would need to "cross the threshold" before he's allowed to play against the Vikings on Sunday night.
"He's going to practice and he's going to go through the individual part of it and he's in the game plans. He's preparing to play," McCarthy said. "He's got to cross the threshold to make sure he's full-go."
McCarthy is aware that quarterbacks are capable of playing even with a calf strain. He personally witnessed it during his time as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. Late in the 2014 NFL season, veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers led the Packers to the playoffs despite having a similar injury that Prescott recently suffered against the Patriots.
However, McCarthy and the Cowboys don't have any plan of rushing Prescott's return to the field. If he fails to cross the threshold, there's a huge possibility for Prescott to remain on the sideline when they face the Vikings.
Though they remain optimistic regarding his recovery, McCarthy and the Cowboys have already started making preparations in case Prescott wouldn't be available when they face the Vikings in Week 8 of the 2021 NFL season. Regardless of Prescott's health status, McCarthy said that they are planning to give backup quarterback Cooper Rush ample practice reps with the first-team offense to make sure he's ready on Sunday night.
"It's a matter of trying to make sure Cooper is ready and to make sure Dak is getting what he needs," McCarthy said. "We've got to make sure we're getting Cooper ready too."
