At the edge of the practice field in Oxnard, Dak Prescott glanced left and spotted CeeDee Lamb. As if prompted by muscle memory, Prescott dared him to a race. 50 yards to the goal line, Prescott shot off with a head start, legs pumping, his rebuilt right hamstring pulling him forward as if determined to put his injury story behind him. Lamb nearly caught him, but for Prescott, the real race hadn’t started yet. It’s the marathon of the NFL season, and for the Dallas Cowboys, every stride Prescott takes is a question mark that hovers above 2025.

With a history of injuries chasing Dallas’ QB1, the Cowboys’ performance this season will rest on how long Prescott can remain healthy. Not just that, but how much he can contribute to Dallas’ ground game also depends on his leg. So, let’s talk about everything that’s at stake this year…

Hamstring, hopes, and how fast can Prescott go?

Dak Prescott’s pursuit of top speed isn’t just about friendly competition; it’s a ritual of reassurance. Last year, his season crashed to a halt after suffering a right hamstring avulsion against the Falcons in Week 9. It was a devastating injury that led to surgery and months of meticulous rehab. “Honestly, what that is, is trying to make sure I do push my limits in practice,” Prescott noted of his high-speed dashes and fakes. He knows that controlled sprints on grass can’t fully replicate the chaos of game day, but each rep is meant to remind both himself and the team that he can still move like the dynamic QB they need.

Cowboys’ HC Brian Schottenheimer isn’t taking any chances. “The power. The Movement. The Steps. The Distance. The Speed. All that stuff is measured. It’s more about him getting to top speed because you’re not getting to that top speed in practice as much as you would in a game when you’re moved off the spot.” The season opener against Philadelphia, where the Eagles will unfurl their new championship banner, looms in less than two weeks. And Prescott, for the 6th straight season, is set to start with zero preseason snaps.

It’s a gamble. Since the ankle fracture in 2020, Prescott’s running game has never quite returned to its early-career fire. From 2019 to 2024, he totaled just 11 rushing TDs, a sharp drop from his first three years, where he put up six per season with designed run/pass options near the goal line. Before the hamstring injury, he’d never had more than two runs in a game last season, but he promised to use his legs more… only to be derailed in Atlanta after a promising 22-yard scramble.

The risk of rust: preseason snaps and Cowboys calculus

“I can’t say, ‘OK, the hammy’s good,’ and I don’t need to run anymore. Well, no, I’ve got to continue to be pushing running,” Prescott said, underscoring the delicate balance between healing and preparation. But as September approaches, the Cowboys’ decision to keep their starting quarterback wrapped up during warm-up games may prove costly. Historically, Prescott’s lack of preseason reps has meant a slower start; in the past two openers, he hasn’t cracked 180 passing yards, combining for just one touchdown.

The Dallas front office has doubled down on this approach, trusting in practice and joint sessions over live-fire preseason action. Critics, including those at The Landry Hat, have warned the move “could backfire immediately,” especially with Prescott returning from a major injury and an OL featuring two new starters making their NFL debuts (Nate Thomas and Tyler Booker). The stakes couldn’t be higher for a team perennially pegged as contenders, but often undone by the cruel calculus of health and timing.

Iron Man ethos: the mental edge

Prescott’s mentality mirrors the iron-willed push he showed after his ankle reconstruction. Back in 2020, his first game back from injury featured a Superman performance: 403 yards and 3 touchdowns, in a narrow loss to Tom Brady’s Buccaneers. This time, Prescott wants his body to be ready to move, slide, and extend plays when called upon. “Dak’s gotta be able to run… Now, are we going to come out the first play of the season against Philadelphia and run power read with the quarterback? No, probably not. But at the end of the day, he’s got to move. He’s got to make plays. He’s got to extend plays. Can we run him? Sure, we’ll run him. And he’s a good athlete. He has to be smart, getting down. Hey if he’s in danger, slide. Get down. And that’s what all the great ones do,” Schottenheimer doubled down.

The challenge Prescott faces is bigger than simple X’s and O’s; it’s about reclaiming his physical edge and proving to teammates and crowds he’s still the leader who can drive the Cowboys deep into January.

What’s next: a season defined by every stride

As opening night approaches, each time Dak Prescott breaks into a sprint on the practice field has become a microcosm of the Cowboys’ 2025 campaign. He has the added advantage of more aerial attacks with George Pickens stretching the field parallel to Lamb. But will Dak’s rebuilt hamstring enable him to extend plays with the lethal timing and improvisation of his best years? Or will the preseason gamble leave him and Dallas starting slow again?

For Prescott, the tests aren’t over. But every stride, every cut, every decision to tuck the ball and go will be a message: the race is on. The Cowboys’ fate may hinge on how far their quarterback’s rebuilt legs can carry them this year.