Dak Prescott, the $240 million quarterback, stepped onto the field in the season opener carrying more than the hopes of a playoff run. He carried a question that lingered around him all offseason: Could he move like the Dak of old? That uncertainty set the stakes for Week 1, a test not just of talent but of trust. Against the Eagles’ home-field advantage, there was no room for hesitation.

Before kickoff, Mike McCarthy, the former Cowboys HC, doubled down on his old QB. “He’s a full-operational quarterback,” McCarthy said of Prescott, pressing the issue everyone wondered: mobility. Then came the revealing line: “Once he received a bigger contract, we tried to be more selective with that. I’m not sure what direction they’re going in the future here, but he’s full operational.”

McCarthy was betting on Prescott returning to his roots. Last year, the numbers painted a warning. Prescott rushed for just 24 yards in his first seven games, a glaring drop from his early career. Meanwhile, he was sacked 18 times in the same stretch, proof of a quarterback boxed in by scheme and necessity. The shift was intentional; the Cowboys didn’t want their investment exposed to risk, but the cost was offensive stagnation.

Week 8 changed the script against Atlanta. Prescott ran three times for 30 yards before the hamstring tear ended his season (he also took 3 more sacks in that game). That injury was a wake-up call for a franchise built around one man’s availability. This offseason, Prescott locked in on rehabbing and rebuilding his running game. He worked through months of rehab, aiming for a comeback about resilience, not just mobility. But did it work?

In the 2025 season opener, the difference was subtle but undeniable. Prescott wasn’t lighting up highlight reels, but he was escaping sacks, feeling “healthy.” As the QB admitted, “I felt slow on that one where I broke the tackle in the pocket, but other than that I felt healthy.” His focus? Stay on his feet, stay in control, and keep building on the progress. As he further added, “That was the main part of it, being able to run, whether it’s to get out of pressure, using my legs when I need to, and just be healthy throughout the game. So, it’s something I’m not going to stop and just keep building on. A lot of work went into this, and we’ll continue to grow.” No bravado, just intent. And Mike McCarthy’s assessment was spot on.

Prescott faced a dilemma in the opener: protect the asset or unleash the talent? Since signing his deal last season, Brian Schottenheimer (2024’s OC) kept him close to the pocket. But with a patchy offensive line and defenses attacking from all angles, his ability to improvise has become essential. The opener confirmed a new approach under Schottenheimer’s head coach reign. Prescott used his legs when he had to, not for spectacle but survival. He didn’t light up the stat sheet, but each evasive move kept possessions alive. It was the evolution Mike McCarthy had predicted: a quarterback adapting, not retreating. Every escape from pressure was proof of his progress without risking reckless scrambles.

In Dallas, physical setbacks have cast long shadows in recent years. Prescott’s torn hamstring remains fresh in the minds of the front office and the players. Schottenheimer has recalibrated the franchise plan for health first, big plays second. The team now tailors practices and playbooks to maximize Prescott’s strengths while minimizing hits. But the lens shifts. If stars like Prescott and CeeDee Lamb are “full operational,” what does that mean for everyone else in the locker room? The player-centric blueprint leaves little room for error and makes their performances critical.

Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb: no place to hide

CeeDee Lamb faces the same microscope as Dak Prescott. With the team’s commitment to high-dollar contracts, expectations dwarf even the brightest stat lines. But the Week 1 stat lines were hardly bright. Moving ahead, the stars must not only deliver; they must be immaculate, with every snap. As Schottenheimer summed it up best postgame, “I don’t find any moral victories when this team’s built on a culture that’s all about winning. – You don’t find moral victories in losing.”

Dak did everything he could in Week 1. He escaped pressures, found targets, tossed them dimes. But Lamb found himself tested by coverage and stubborn schemes. Lamb had four drops. But the costliest came on a 4th-and-3 with just two minutes left in the fourth quarter. That sealed the game as the Eagles stalled to keep their 4-point lead the rest of the game and won 24-20.

Moving forward, the margin for missteps now shrinks to nothing. As David Moore wrote recently, “This team must get the most out of Lamb and Dak Prescott to win. The team’s two biggest stars can’t afford to have a bad game, a reality that hits home even harder now that another star has been subtracted from the equation.” 

In the coming weeks, every matchup is an evaluation, every play a referendum. The franchise gambled big on their reliability, building schemes and contracts with little room for cold streaks or injury setbacks. That’s the reality both Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb must face now. Beyond them, the entire locker room faces the same crucible. If the whole team, with Dak leading the fray, can answer the call, it might just shape the Cowboys’ 2025 legacy in real time. For now, we eagerly wait for them to go up against the Giants on Sunday.